Malini Chib at the launch of her book One Little Finger

Author, double Masters, event manager and party lover, there are many sides to Malini Chib, but the one that often overshadows them all is the fact that she has cerebral palsy.

Last week, the gutsy woman was in town for the launch of her book One Little Finger. At the launch, the 44-year-old senior executive (PR and events) with Oxford Bookstore, Mumbai, and activist charmed everyone with her exuberance and energy.

“The book has 50,000 words, so that was 250,000 times that Malini’s finger had to type. There was a lot of fatigue, many ‘I can’t do it’ moments, but she showed tremendous tenacity,” said her mother Mithu Alur, the founder-chairperson of ADAPT (formerly The Spastics Society of India).

Malini was born in Calcutta but moved before she was two years old. Mithu recounted her struggle with general ignorance as she tried to bring up Malini. “The health minister had asked me if I was talking about ‘plastic’ when I mentioned ‘spastic’.”

The book starts with Malini’s birth, when the doctors had been doubtful about how long she would survive. “But I proved them wrong,” she writes. Her message: put us in your heart and don’t try to change us.

The release of the book by Madhu Neotia was followed by readings and interactions with the author, who communicates through a lightwriter.

The book deals with Malini’s impressions at school, her embarrassments, her problems and the freedom she finds in London. One Little Finger is not dark. It’s a celebration of life as Malini comes to terms with her differentness and grows comfortable in her skin.

“I like my drink in the evening and if I don’t get it, I stamp my toe,” she said, her eyes twinkling.