Skip to main content
  • Accessibility
  • Headlines
  • Coronavirus-News
  • Get-Hooked
  • Technology
  • Education
  • Employment
  • Parasports
  • Ask Bhavna
  • NHBrandView
  • Independent Living
  • Lifestyle
  • NH Videos
×
Newz Hook – Changing Attitudes towards Disability Logo
  • Stories
  • Videos
  • Inclusive
  • NH Voice
  • Login
COVID-19 Notification by Government in Accessible Format

Accessibility Tools

Text Size:

Contrast Scheme:

  • C
  • C

Reset

  • Home
  • Get-hooked
  • #AutismPower – Varun Sawant juggles multiple talents with great style

#AutismPower – Varun Sawant juggles multiple talents with great style

Get-hooked April 13, 2019
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
0

Just 20 years old, Varun Sawant wears his multiple hats of swimmer, marathoner and chef with ease.

Varun was just two-and-a-half years old when he started swimming lessons as his parents thought it would be a positive outlet given his autism diagnosis. He took to it quickly, even excelled at it but the continuous rains in Mumbai meant long breaks away from the pool.

“The swimming helped cope with his intense hyperactivity but the rains would disrupt this, says Darshana Chawan Sawant, Varun’s mother. “At the time, marathons were becoming popular in Mumbai and we decided to enroll him in classes.

Darshana and her husband approached certified marathon coach Kaushik Panchal, who heads Runners Academy, to train Varun. Panchal had no background in working with people with disabilities but decided to give Varun a trial run provided he was accompanied by his father.

I had never met anyone with autism before that. I do group coaching and I was not sure he would be comfortable and whether others in the group may get disturbed, so I suggested four sessions to start with. I soon realized he was serious and committed. He would be there with his dad at 5.55 AM, on the dot for the 6 AM session and they would travel quite a distance. – Kaushik Panchal, Marathon Coach

Panchal’s training unleashed a speed demon in Varun. Since he enrolled for the sessions three years ago, he has not stopped participating in marathons, running in Satara, Mumbai and Bhopal. At a recent inclusive run in Mumbai held to mark World Autism Day, he was way ahead of pack, finishing first in 35 minutes.

His partner at the run was seasoned marathoner Vineet Saraiwala, who works with Future Group Retail. Saraiwala rates him as among the fastest runners on the circuit, someone who also pushes him to do the best.

“Running with Varun was intense, remembers Saraiwala. “He is so focused, disciplined, calm, caring and open to new experiences. I could feel his warmth whenever he was nudging my shoulder and honestly we did not require words to communicate with each other.

Coach Panchal believes Varun has a great future ahead of him. ‘His speed is great and he has immense patience, which is necessary for marathons because it can get tedious. Most youngsters tend to drop out for this reason. Varun has all three – endurance, speed and patience – which is rare.

It’s not just Panchal who has experienced a change in attitude towards people with disabilities after meeting Varun. His teachers at the Patkar Varde College in Mumbai, where he is doing a B.Sc in Hospitality, echo the same.

Amol Rawool, who teaches Advanced Food Production at the college says, “Varun puts in 12-14 hours a day in college when needed and then goes running! He does all the tasks given with dedication and sincerity. He is the first student with autism to join our college and this has encouraged us to admit more children with the disorder. We now have seven students, and this is because Varun has changed the faculty’s attitude.

“I found him sincere and hardworking, adds Chef Narendra Kolekar from Hotel ITC Maratha, under whom Varun interned for six months. “In my 28 years in the industry, this was the first time I worked with someone with autism and it was a great learning for me. He followed orders sincerely and never showed disinterest or boredom.

Where does this interest in cooking come from? Darshana has not a clue but the signs were there early. “When he was young, Varun could identify the masalas by the smell, she recalls. “He would smell the dishes and tell me what the ingredients were. I am not a good cook myself and this is something Varun started exploring on his own.

But the place where she most likes to see him is on the finishing line. “Running has changed him completely. When he crosses the finishing line and pushes his hands up in the air, I feel a glow inside because that’s my son out there beating the odds, getting better, every time. I know he is growing as a person.

OTHER STORIES IN THE #AUTISMPOWER SERIES:


SAI Bakery offers adults with developmental disabilities space to bond & learn


Chennai’s CanBridge Academy offers work & life skills training for disabled youth


Light Up Blue! – My Take by Anupama Bakshshi

Watch in Sign Language

0

Support us to make NewzHook Sustainable – Make a Contribution Today

We need your continued support to enable us work towards Changing Attitudes towards Disability. Help us in our attempt to share the voices of people with disabilities that enable them to participate in the society on an equal footing!

Contribute to Newz Hook

NH Videos

Multiple Sclerosis does not affect Anjali's love for Cooking

Read more on Newz Hook

  • Accessibility
    Top 10 Accessible Brands & Brand Campaigns Globally
  • Employment,Independent Living
    My journey from a hearing impaired individual to a Social Changemaker
  • Accessibility,Independent Living
    Affordable and Independent Mobility for Persons with Disabilities still a distant hope in India (series 1 of 3)
  • Accessibility
    Prof Stephen Hawking is the inspiration for this budding astrophysicist with CP

Contribue to Newz Hook. Support us to make NewzHook Sustainable – Make a Contribution Today.

Newsletter

 Subscribe to our Newsletter

Want to feature your inspiring story or share an event with the disabled community? Write to:

editor@newzhook.com

Related News

Woman getting her eyes tested

Get-hooked

#GlaucomaAwarenessMonth – Early detection & treatment is critical to prevent permanent vision loss

Employment

My journey from a hearing impaired individual to a Social Changemaker

Accessibility

Affordable and Independent Mobility for Persons with Disabilities still a distant hope in India (series 1 of 3)

Logos of the 10 brands featured in the article

Accessibility

Top 10 Accessible Brands & Brand Campaigns Globally

Newz Hook - Accessible News

Download App Now!

Videos

View More

Get-hooked

Understanding not responding to name as a sign of ASD

Get-hooked

#RareDiseases - DART, India's 1st research lab on rare diseases, aims to annihilate muscular dystrophy

Technology

#TechThursdays - EMx turns the spotlight on early intervention & inclusive education in the 3rd edition

Get-hooked

Understanding Stress of Moving House for Child with Autism

Newz Hook Logo

About Newz Hook

Newz Hook is a media site focusing on Changing Attitudes towards Disability globally. We highlight stories that share insights into the lives of people with disabilities, offer solutions and create collaborations. Our focus is to have Inclusion Champions from across the globe who share knowledge about disability, inclusion & accessibility.

Lets come together to change attitudes towards disability!

Newz Hook is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Follow us on:

Related Links

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Partner with Newz Hook
  • Embed Newz Hook Timeline
  • Affiliate disclosure
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Contribute to Newz Hook

Our Awards

Zero Project Award Winner 2018
Back To Top
© 2019 All Right Reserved. Inclusive News India Private Limited.

Ask Bhavna

All fields are mandatory unless specified as optional.