Pune-based Commander (retd) Shrirang Bijur, 72, recalls a time when his mother was concerned about his son Abhay, who would stare at her fingers instead of looking at the birds she pointed out in the sky. “He was just one and a half years old then. While he missed several developmental milestones, it was only later that Abhay was diagnosed with 79 per cent intellectual disability and 40 per cent cerebral palsy,” Bijur said.
Back then, there was very little awareness about autism. The journey of Bijur and his wife Anjali (70) in caring for their now 42-year-old son and in the process setting up special centres to train young children with autism and provide early intervention strongly reflects this year’s theme of World Autism Awareness Day (April 2) – Autism and Humanity – where every life has value.
Bijur was then a Lt Commander in the Indian Navy and based in Mumbai. With a posting at the Naval HQ in Delhi, along with his wife who was a teacher, would take turns in managing their younger son, who had become hyperactive. “He was always running around and did not speak till he was three years old,” Bijur said, adding that later his wife took a year’s study leave. “My elder son went to a regular school and we had to send Abhay to a special school. It was a difficult period as we were also learning about this condition,” Bijur said.
At the school’s consultation with experts, the Bijurs met Tom Jowel, who was a UK-based consulting psychologist, and informed them that speech and occupational therapies were important. Fortunately then in 1989, Bijur was appointed as Deputy Naval Advisor at the High Commission in London and interacted with Jowel. “London had several special schools and parents were told that all human beings have a potential whether they were on an autism spectrum or faced other development challenges. As parents we had to enable our child to achieve that potential,” Bijur said.
The group therapy sessions helped Abhay and on their return to Mumbai, Bijur’s wife Anjali enrolled in a Bachelor in Education (B.Ed) in Special Education and Learning Disability course. Soon at Navy Nagar in Mumbai Anjali and other women started Sankalp – a special centre to train young children with autism and intellectual disabilities. Bijur, however, took voluntary retirement in 1995 at the age of 42 to take care of his son.
Along with friends and enterprising mothers of children with intellectual disability they set up a unique parents association in the country. “Initially we started it as a place for counselling such parents to accept and empower their children,” Bijur said. Known as AWMH today it has grown into an institution administering therapy to close to 100 children every month with neuro-developmental delay at its early intervention centres in Mumbai.
By then Abhay, who was 15, was sent to vocational centres where children were taught simple and practical things like how to shell peas or light a candle. Bijur, who had joined a private sector firm, had moved from Mumbai to Delhi where Abhay joined Muskaan, an institution started by mothers. “Abhay was 22 years old and skills like social adaptability were taught,” Bijur said. Those years were challenging too as they had to understand Abhay’s trigger points and why he would remain aloof or then impatient at times. “Like any other adult, we had to give Abhay his space, explain about good and bad touch and also give him a patient hearing and stay honest with him,” Bijur added.
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After the family shifted to Pune in 2011, Abhay joined Prayatna, an NGO for people with special needs and a vocational centre. Abhay has been with Prayatna for the last 14 years and since the last few years has even started working at Cafe Dil – which is a culmination of the NGO’s efforts in partnership with private firms in the city at creating valued social roles for people with special needs. So twice a week Abhay, now 42, helps in making sandwiches that one team along with a mentor supplies to a private firm while another travels to Forbes Marshall where they serve meals to employees during lunch hour.
“It has been a four-decade-long journey, but seeing my son stand at the door with a white envelope in his hands on the first of every month means everything to us. The salary may not be much, yet he feels an immense sense of pride holding that envelope. He may not fully understand the concepts of time and money, but moments like these remind us why it is so important to create awareness among parents to recognise the inherent dignity, equal rights and unconditional worth of every autistic person,” Bijur said.
Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues .
Professional Background
Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature.
Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO.
Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives.
Awards and Recognition
Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.”
Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025)
1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care
"Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease.
Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose.
2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series)
Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs.
"For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune.
3. Lifestyle & Wellness News
"They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions.
At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents.
4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure
For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics.
Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far.
Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership
Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions.
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