As they drove to see their Seventy four year old paralytic grandmother, nani in Meerut, Gauri looked around at her brother Rahul, sitting quietly next to the window in the back seat. How would this affect him? Probably not at all. He would never understand Rahul. Gauri's younger brother by two years. had been brain-damaged from birth. He did not speak, could not hear and saw poorly through his eyes. He stopped growing when he was 1.60 meters and struggled against obesity. A wall of autism shut him away from the outside world. He spent most of his time lost in his own musings, nodding. laughing. clucking and crying at pageants only he could see Growing up, Gauri and her elder sister played games, made friends, and went out to movies and parties. Rahul stayed at home, entertaining himself on a rocking chair, staring at television or playing with empty glass bottles his lifelong fascination. During his teens. Rahul struggled with the emotional overload of adolescence. Seized by fits of anger, he would burst into uncontrollable tears. Or rake his fingernails down his face until his cheeks bled. He passed through several distinct phases, each marked by peculiar ritual First there was ground-kissing. Ever so often for no apparent reason, he would stop in misstep drop to his knees and give the floor a long, passionate kiss. Wiping the dirt from his lips, he would call my stand up and, with an air of accomplishment, continue on his way Ground-kissing gave way to spinning in place. From a sitting position, Rahul would suddenly stand up, twirl around as if he were unwinding himself from an invisible string and then, satisfied, and take his seat. He whirled three times never more, never less