Nehal Tiwari believes autism is not end of the world, there is much more to explore

Nehal Tiwari’s stone paintings are getting her quite a lot of attention in the world of art. Her work has been displayed at many exhibitions and she has a steady clientele who keep coming back for more. Just 21 years old, this young woman is already standing other feet. In our month long #CelebrateAutisticPride campaign, today we share her story.

Talent, hard work and determination- Nehal Tiwari has all the qualities needed to make it in life. Diagnosed with autism at the age of two, this youngster has beaten all odds to celebrate life with the support and encouragement from her family. Nehal was good at studies and shows amazing skills at stone painting. Her work has been exhibited and sold across various platforms.

Growing up years

Nehal is the first born and her parents Seema and Anupam Tiwari were excited about her arrival. They were quick to notice certain delayed milestones like delayed speech, hyperactive behaviour and no eye contact. The real challenge lay in diagnosing where the problem lies. During that time, there was very less awareness about autism and that did affect Nehal’s diagnosis too.

There were doctors who told us that some kids have delayed speech. But thankfully, a pediatrician diagnosed her with autism because he has seen many other kids similar to Nehal. As parents, we started researching more about what autism is. The internet was not too popular at that time, so we relied mostly on books It was shocking for us, but we were determined to empower her. – Anupam Tiwari, Nehal’s father

Nehal completed until class 12 at inclusive schools.

“She has spent most of her time with regular kids. Yes, it was difficult for her because she was different and she was treated differently too”, says Anupam recalling a horrific incident. “Once we found marks on Nehal’s hand. One of the schools used to tie her up using a tape to a chair in order to make her sit down. We immediately removed her from there”, he says.

Currently, Nehal is pursuing her B.Sc in Information Technology from St. Xavier’s College in Mumbai. Due to the lockdown, her results for final semester have been delayed. A true star, Nehal has been featured in various newspapers, magazines and TV channels for her exceptional skills!

Love for stone painting

Anupam recollects that Nehal was interested in painting and art from a very young age. But her love for stone painting reached bigger heights while at college. Nehal participated in an art festival and she did stone painting as part of it. That is when she realized she loves the art. With the support of her parents, she pursued it.

Nehal has done over 200 works till date. All the stones that she uses are raw and not polished. But Nehal loves the challenge that lies in it! She has also exhibited her works at various platforms. In spite of not receiving any formal training, Nehal does stone painting brilliantly. Her works are sold as well.

She loves painting cartoons, nature, scenery and what not! She also has a YouTube channel and website where she shares her works.

“In spite of very less resources, we were determined to help our child. Parents must never get disturbed or upset after their child’s autism diagnosis. We had put in the efforts and the results were amazing. We work with Nehal every day to bring out the best of her. Autism is not a disease, it is a disorder. There are no medicines to cure it. The only remedy is to work with your child”, says Anupam.

“Autism is not end of the world. There is so much more to explore and see in the world. I believe in that”, says Nehal.

You can check out Nehal’s works on her website – https://stonepainting-nehal.com/

Watch in Sign Language

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