the goan I network
PANAJI
Nineteen-year-old Skanda Naik and his mother Archana Naik have just completed the second semester of their Diploma in Architecture from Government Polytechnic, Althinho.
While both of them scored well in Semester I, they are eagerly awaiting the results of their second semester which will come out sometime in June.
At the age of two, his parents found out that Skanda had autism. Both doctors -- Archana and Sandeep -- we’re very supportive of their only son and stood by him through all the hurdles he faced.
When at school in Silvassa, in Dadra and Nagar Haveli, he would take time to write down what the teachers were saying, as well as grasp what they taught. But his teachers too were very helpful.
After completing upto Standard 10 in Silvassa, where his father was practicing, the family moved to Goa in 2017, where Skanda signed up for a three-year Diploma in Architecture at Polytechnic. At the time, his mother used to attend class along with him from 9 am to 4 pm to help him cope. Most teachers were okay with this, but there was one teacher who raised an objection, which was later sorted out.
Unfortunately, in 2018, both mother and son met with an accident and it took nearly six months for them to recover. However, they came out of the phase even more determined. Later that year, Archana, who herself has an MD degree, decided to register for the course too, and Skanda re-registered for first year.
Now, both officially study side by side, sitting together in class, while Skanda looks into his mother’s notes when he finds it hard to keep up.
Said Archana, “The college provides him with a writer and he gets extra time to answer too. I feel I made the right decision. Skanda is our only child and there is nothing we would not do for him.”
(As narrated to Siddharth Kamble).
