Recently, PM Narendra Modi drew flak for his apparently insensitive comments about dyslexic people, which he made while addressing college students during the Smart India Hackathon 2019.
Many people took to social media to criticize his comment, including former MP Shahid Siddiqui. However, for Siddiqui, PM Modi’s comments impacted him personally, and he strongly related to how insensitive the remark really was.
Because Siddiqui is not just a former DU professor and the Chief Editor for Nai Duniya, but also the loving and protective father of a daughter who is dyslexic. In a series of tweets, he shared his personal experience of raising a child with dyslexia and how he wouldn’t allow anyone to look down on her.
He further added that parents of such special children constantly fight the world on their behalf, because these children are not always in a position to defend themselves. But the anguish and helplessness that the parents go through can never be masked.
It’s no surprise that the world today is a harsh place for specially-abled people. But Shahid Siddiqui’s message brings into stark focus the pain that parents go through when their children are subjected to harsh and insensitive mockery. Like he rightfully comments, this world needs more love, not apathy.
