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Redefining Genius: A New Way to See Ability
Dr.Vijayalakshmi Aluri, Winner of World Bank’s Projects competition, Author, Health Educator, Social worker and Gynecologist, Sri Sri Holistic Multi specialty Hospitals, Hyderabad.
A quiet boy named Abhay sat in the last row of his classroom, eyes wandering outside the window more often than they did on the blackboard. The world outside, the fluttering leaves, flying birds, dancing shadows, fascinated him. Numbers and grammar didn’t.
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His teachers labelled him “slow.” His classmates whispered, “He’s a bit off.” He failed in math repeatedly, couldn’t remember multiplication tables, and wrote slowly. His report cards were filled with red marks and sighs.
But every time the school announced a drawing competition, Abhay would quietly walk to the front. He never spoke much, but when he drew, the paper spoke for him. His art told stories. His colors captured feelings. His strokes brought movement to stillness.
Despite this, Abhay was never praised. After all, he couldn’t solve algebra. His father, an accountant, shook his head and said, “You’ll never get anywhere like this. You need marks, not sketches.”
