JOY

Overcoming Learning Disabilities Together.

- By Prerna Gulrajani

I'm leaving, Ma!" Sapru called out before stepping out of his 3BHK in Bandra. He was dressed in his new suit, which he had had tailored especially for the occasion.

Today, he was starting a new job at Lenskart, the 14-year-old company that had revolutionised eyewear. He was the newly appointed Assistant Analytics Manager, and he was proud of it—not just because he had landed the job, but also because, at 23, he was among the youngest managers at the company, thanks to his dual MBA and statistics degree. In the next two or three years, he saw himself heading the analytics department. He imagined that, after his promotion, he would either enter the C-suite in the same company or set up his own startup. He thought he would be married and start a family within the next five years and wanted to be prepared to spend quality time at home with his wife and kids. Sapru had his life planned out.

With such thoughts in his head, he opened the door to leave when his mom called out, “Ai! Sapru! Mishti Doi khā'ō ēbaṁ yā'ō,” (Have sweet curd before you leave). Sapru obliged, touched his mother's feet, and took the lift down from his flat on the ninth floor to find his Uber. When he entered the office, he met a smart receptionist who pointed and told him to go straight and left when he said he wanted to meet HR. Sapru stepped in the direction she had pointed.

“On the first floor,” she said, now pointing in the opposite direction and smiling.

“Eh?”