“The bullying started when Arvey was in the 6th grade. He’d come home crying and say, ‘The boys call me gay and chakka.’ I was a teacher in the same school, DPS. I’d complain to the authorities but each time, they’d say, ‘He’s a nautanki!’
So, I’d tell my son that things would get better. He’d try to be more ‘manly’ like the other boys; he even started playing volleyball. But soon, he realized it wasn’t for him. He loved art, poetry, and music; that’s what made him happy. But at every step, his classmates taunted him for being ‘too feminine’ or having more female friends. He felt like an outcast. And by 9th grade, things worsened. He came home panicking and breathing heavily–he’d read a chapter about bullying which triggered him.
He confessed, ‘The boys in my class blindfolded me and forced me to strip naked. I can’t take it anymore’; I was shocked; my son’s bullies had come sexual assaulters. And this was just one incident. There were so many things he told me about that day. And our school refused to take any action; they failed us. Seeing him like that broke my heart. I took Arvey to multiple therapists until one diagnosed him with depression. Arvey lost his appetite, weight, and his interest in art. And in 10th grade, he got diagnosed with dyslexia, studying got all the more difficult for him. Thankfully, one therapist helped him a lot. He slowly started improving. Within 6 months, he became healthier and calmer. He even said, ‘I want to sing songs’. I immediately enrolled him in a singing class.
One day, he even told me, ‘Ma, I like wearing nail paint and jewelry. I said, ‘Be who you are!’ I was glad my son was happy! But this happiness was short-lived. When his school reopened for exams, he got triggered; going back to that school reminded him of those traumatizing memories.
Humans of Bombay, Fb
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