A city couple with a 13-year-old son with autism has been troubled by the fear of what will happen to the child after them.
The couple, joined by many such parents, took up an initiative to start a residential facility for children with autism and their parents.
Ananda Ashrama at Jamdoba village, about 12km from Panagarh in Paschim Bardhaman district and 160km from Kolkata, was inaugurated on Thursday.
The idea behind setting up the facility is to train children with autism to live independently.
Five families have started living on the campus and 10 children are staying at the hostel.
Children who are 12 years and above will be taken in.
“We will train them on independent living so they can do their daily tasks like maintaining personal hygiene. The hostel life will help them follow a routine,” said Arunasis Adhikari, a parent and the man behind the ashrama project, which is under Bhabna Trust.
“If I don’t prepare my child to live alone how would he do so after me,” said a father.
The 10-acre area would be used not only for cottages to live in but for vocational training and agricultural purposes.
“We would generate some revenue by growing or producing things that would have a local market. Our children would be engaged in the production together with local people who would be employed here,” said Adhikari.
Adhikari is a software engineer who has left his job and now runs consultation services. This flexibility allows him to live in the ashrama and work from there.
“We as parents would have to leave behind a fund for our children but no matter how much we leave it can never be enough. So, the idea is to create a fund through these projects that would reduce the running cost of the facility and create a financial back-up,” said Adhikari.
Working together with local people will help in the social inclusion of individuals with autism, those who are part of the project think so.
Another father, Joyanta Ray, has put his son in the hostel. Initially, during the transition phase, the parents will take turns in staying with their 14-year-old son at the ashram.
“Gradually, he would be on his own. He will visit us during holidays. We have to make them capable of living an independent life with dignity,” said Ray, who is also father to an eight-year-old girl.
The ashrama will have a capacity of accommodating 50 families.
“This will be done in phases,” said Adhikari. Speaking of their future plan, he said: “We want younger parents to join us so that the reins of the ashrama can be handed over to the next generation.”