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Human Book No.
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A Bird's Eye View of the Human Book
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HUMAN BOOK NO.1
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Title: Beyond Karma: A Father’s 25-Year Journey with Autism
Tagline: Moving from exhaustion and cultural stigma to radical acceptance.
Short description: Twenty-five years ago, the world viewed Autism through a lens of inability, judgment, and "karma." As a father, I faced extreme burnout, financial strain, and social isolation while navigating care across four culturally different Indian cities. From battling the misconception that my son was a "burden" to overcoming the lack of basic therapy centres, our family's life was completely upended. My turning point came with true acceptance. By breaking free from societal pity and charitable traps, I learned to navigate these challenges, support my wife, and find the strength to motivate other parents. On World Mental Health Day 2026, honouring the official theme and tagline Lived Experiences Heard: Real Voices, Real Change, flip through my pages at Human Library IIT Palakkad to challenge social prejudices, dismantle invisible barriers, and build authentic understanding around Autism and Neurodivergence.
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HUMAN BOOK NO. 2
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Title: The Unwanted Daughter
Tagline: Reclaiming autonomy after 50 years of invisible control.
Short description: I grew up in a respectable middle-class home with parents who were an educator and a government officer, but behind closed doors, I was entirely unwanted. Sent away as a baby, I mistook my aunt for my mother. At home, the fear was so intense that I hid my own puberty for three years, using discarded clothes because I was too terrified to tell my mother I had started my period. For decades, every aspect of my life—my clothes, my hair, even my medical practice—was suffocated by parental control. Today, at 51, I am a successful homoeopath, a mother, a nature lover, and a woman who has finally chosen survival over obedience by cutting ties. Read me as a human book at Human Library IIT Palakkad on World Mental Health Day 2026, honouring the official theme and tagline Lived Experiences Heard: Real Voices, Real Change, to discuss childhood trauma, the myth of unconditional parental love, and the liberating, painful path to late-stage freedom.
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HUMAN BOOK NO. 3
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Title: Beyond the Deficit
Tagline: How failing to fit in led me to master my own niche.
Short description: I am a differently abled individual, but my story isn't just about "overcoming disability." It’s about the exhausting reality of trying to be accepted by a society that wasn't built for you, facing failures in sports and studies, and ultimately refusing to give up. By discovering my true strengths, I went from struggling to belong to clearing the NET JRF and becoming a PhD scholar. On World Mental Health Day 2026, honouring the official theme and tagline "Lived Experiences Heard: Real Voices, Real Change," read me at Human Library IIT Palakkad about perseverance, higher education, and self-acceptance.
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HUMAN BOOK NO.4
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Title: Destined to Sprout
Tagline: A story of survival from the forgotten generations of the 60s and 70s.
Short Description: Like a seed falling into a dense, unforgiving forest, a child born into poverty, displacement, and abuse faces threats at every turn. Most are crushed or forgotten, but some manage to survive. This book is an unvarnished, honest look at what it takes for an entire family to escape social backwardness and caste exclusion. On World Mental Health Day 2026, honouring the official theme and tagline "Lived Experiences Heard: Real Voices, Real Change," read me at Human Library IIT Palakkad about perseverance, higher education, and self-acceptance, my book is written to offer comfort to fellow victims of a harsh era, it is a testament to the fact that when a wounded mind is destined to become a tree, it develops the extraordinary strength to overcome any crisis.
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HUMAN BOOK NO.5
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Title: The Heart Behind the Handbook
Tagline: Where special education theory meets the raw reality of home.
Short description: As a Special Educator and teacher trainer, I know the academic language of disability inside out. But textbook definitions fade when you step into my home, where I act as the primary guardian to my brother with a severe disability. I live at the intersection of professional expertise and raw, personal lived experience. This dual perspective has taught me that behind every diagnosis lies a vibrant human story, a resilient family, and a spectrum of unseen emotions. Read me to challenge your perceptions of inclusion, dignity, and acceptance. Together, we will unpack how real-world empathy beats societal stereotypes every time—and why the only true disability in life is a bad attitude. Bring your honest questions, and let’s explore how shifting our attitudes can create a genuinely accepting society. On World Mental Health Day 2026, honouring the official theme and tagline "Lived Experiences Heard: Real Voices, Real Change," Iam a Human Book at Human Library IIT Palakkad to share a vital truth: disability is just a unique way of experiencing the world.
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HUMAN BOOK NO. 6
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Title: More Than Just Listening
Tagline: Unmasking the silent struggles and loud victories behind the microphone.
Short description: People think a sound engineer’s life is glamorous, technical, and entirely detached from the narrative. They are wrong. For 21 years, I have been the invisible observer of human stories through cinema and documentaries. I have learned that the hardest part of the job isn't managing the equipment—it is managing the immense pressure, the fear of failure, and the complex human dynamics of the creative world. This Human Book unmasks the technical professional as they share a deeply human journey about resilience, mentorship, and truly listening to the world around us. On World Mental Health Day 2026, honouring the official theme and tagline Lived Experiences Heard: Real Voices, Real Change, read me at Human Library IIT Palakkad to get a sense of the failures, achievements, and human relationships built behind the scenes. I offer a backstage pass to the creative industry and the ultimate mix-down of lessons learned along the way.
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HUMAN BOOK NO: 7
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Title: Writer's Cramp: When Your Hand Stops Listening
Tagline: The invisible neurological trap that steals futures, crushes ambitions, and redefines who you are when your pen stops moving.
Short description: When my hand first locked up while writing, people told me to rest, shake it off, or try harder. No one realised it was not ordinary fatigue, but a debilitating condition called Writer's Cramp. This focal dystonia turns the simple, essential act of holding a pen into an agonising physical and mental battle. I watched helplessly as my dreams, academic goals, and identity slipped through fingers that refused to obey me. The hardest part was not just the physical pain, but the crushing mental pressure of feeling like I was becoming 'nothing' while the world kept moving forward, unaware. So many students suffer in silence from this unfamiliar yet common condition, trapped by a barrier no one talks about. I am a Human Book about the grief, isolation, and ultimate survival of fighting an invisible disability that threatens to derail a student's life. I want students and teachers to recognise this hidden struggle before it traps anyone else. On World Mental Health Day 2026, honouring the official theme and tagline Lived Experiences Heard: Real Voices, Real Change, open my pages at Human Library IIT Palakkad, look past the surface, and ask me the hard questions about losing your path and finding the strength to rebuild.
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HUMAN BOOK NO: 8
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Title: Ink and Invisible Illness
Tagline: Writing my way through a rare physical and emotional reality.
Short description: When chronic pain from Addison’s disease and complex emotional struggles made life overwhelming, words became my lifeline. As an engineering graduate, psychology postgraduate and published author, I use books and communication to make sense of an unpredictable world. I am here to share the human side of invisible disability and mental health. My life is often measured in hospitals, medications, and physical limitations. Yet, beneath the diagnosis of a rare disease and mental health battles, I am a speaker, a dreamer, and a storyteller. I am a Human Book to break the silence surrounding chronic illness and emotional trauma. Ask me anything about the reality of daily survival, the power of active listening, and how to find your voice when you feel completely misunderstood. On World Mental Health Day 2026, honouring the official theme and tagline Lived Experiences Heard: Real Voices, Real Change, read me at Human Library IIT Palakkad to explore how art heals the mind, how to cope when your body limits you, and how to keep creating when life gets heavy.
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HUMAN BOOK NO: 9
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Title: Beyond the Lens: Rewriting the Script for Albinism
Tagline: A film actor's journey from the shadows of social isolation to building an albinism-friendly Kerala.
Short description: I am a film actor from Kerala who navigates daily life with the physical and social realities of Albinism, including vision challenges and sunlight sensitivity. Tired of social isolation and discrimination, I turned personal hurdles into fuel for advocacy. I am the founder and director of People’s Mental Health Initiative, which works to raise awareness of human diversity and the inclusion of marginalised sections, both of which are very important determinants of mental health. I have spearheaded state-level changes in Kerala—ranging from Albinism-Friendly Campuses and Kochi Metro awareness programs to establishing November as State Albinism Month. On World Mental Health Day 2026, honouring the official theme and tagline "Lived Experiences Heard: Real Voices, Real Change," read me at Human Library IIT Palakkad to discuss how to transform personal vulnerability into a collective movement for equal justice, mental health, and true societal inclusion.
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HUMAN BOOK NO.10
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Title: Proof of Distress
Tagline: Navigating student housing scams and institutional silence.
Short description: Exploitation in shared international student housing is a quiet epidemic, thriving on a student's unfamiliarity with a new system. After surviving a devastating housing scam and an emotionally abusive living arrangement, my roommate and I sought help from our university. However, because our psychological and emotional distress lacked "tangible proof," our ordeal was largely overlooked, forcing us to restart our lives from scratch quietly. As a researcher studying voice and displacement, I am a human book to dismantle the myth of the safe study-abroad journey. On World Mental Health Day 2026, honouring the official theme and tagline Lived Experiences Heard: Real Voices, Real Change, read me at Human Library IIT Palakkad to discover the high cost of seeking help, why institutional safety nets fail international students, and how power operates through silence.
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HUMAN BOOK NO.11
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Title: The "Rebellious" Grey-Haired Athlete
Tagline: Discarding the script written by society at 33, and publishing my own chapters on a bicycle at 45 and a mountain peak at 53.
Short description: For the first 33 years of my life, I was the ultimate "good girl" in Kerala—obedient daughter, top student, and secure government employee. But when I chose to break a toxic marriage, society replaced my "good girl" title with judgment, isolation, and strict boundaries meant for a divorced woman. So, I decided to rewrite my script. At 45, I ignored the sharp laughter of neighbours and learned to ride a bicycle. By 53, I had summoned the courage to swim 5 kilometres in the Arabian Sea, place in the Kerala State Triathlon, and watch the sunrise from Kilimanjaro and Everest Base Camp. Today, my grey hair stands out at athletic events, proving that your timeline belongs to you alone. On World Mental Health Day 2026, honouring the official theme and tagline "Lived Experiences Heard: Real Voices, Real Change," flip through my pages at Human Library IIT Palakkad to discover how to abandon societal expectations, forget your age and aggressively claim your dreams. Ask me anything about solo travel, surviving judgment, or starting fresh at 45.
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HUMAN BOOK NO.12
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Title: The Memory Keeper
Tagline: The only cure for Alzheimer's is care.
Short description: When people hear about Alzheimer's Disease or Dementia, they often focus entirely on the person losing their memory. But there is another side to this story—the person who must remember them. As a program officer in the 1990s, I worked alongside the pioneers of the Alzheimer's movement in India, even helping shape the awareness that brought this condition to the silver screen. I understood the science, the history, and the clinical definitions. But everything I thought I knew was tested when the diagnosis walked into my own home, and my own mother became the patient. Suddenly, I wasn't just an expert; I was a son watching my mother forget what happened moments ago, and eventually, who she was. I am a Human Book about the immense, heartbreaking, and beautiful duties of a caregiver. Don’t forget that many of us are in this together. On World Mental Health Day 2026, honouring the official theme and tagline "Lived Experiences Heard: Real Voices, Real Change, read me at Human Library IIT Palakkad to know more about the reality of dementia, the emotional toll of caregiving, and how we can provide dignity when memories fade.
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HUMAN BOOK NO. 13
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Title: From Paralysis to Physiotherapist: Healing from Both Sides
Tagline: The thin line between patient and caregiver.
Short description: At 15 years old, a severe head injury and an extradural haemorrhage left me paralysed on my left side. I was the patient fighting to regain control of my own body. Today, I am a physiotherapist with over 20 years of clinical and academic experience, dedicated to helping differently-abled individuals navigate their own hard times. My life came full circle, moving from the hospital bed to a lifelong career in rehabilitation across major medical institutions (Medical Trust Hospital, Kochi; St. Johns Medical College, Bangalore; Christian Medical College, Vellore; Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore) and community homes. Read me about what it truly means to recover, how a childhood trauma shaped my purpose, and what I have learned from the incredibly resilient lives I interact with every day. On World Mental Health Day 2026, honouring the official theme and tagline "Lived Experiences Heard: Real Voices, Real Change, flip through my pages at Human Library IIT Palakkad to discover the thin line between being the patient and being the healer.
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HUMAN BOOK NO.14
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Title: The Law Graduate Behind the Lipstick
Tagline: Breaking the mould of a "conventional career" to follow a lifelong passion.
Short description: When people hear I am a law graduate, they assume my home in Kozhikode (formerly Calicut) is filled with legal briefs and courtroom battles. Instead, it is filled with hair shears, bridal veils, and the bustling energy of one of Kerala’s oldest ladies' beauty parlours. As a judicial officer's daughter, I was meant to follow the traditional gavel. Instead, I chose the makeup brush. For the past 36 years, I have lived an unexpected life—styling iconic brides like Olympian P.T. Usha, mentoring hundreds of beauty entrepreneurs worldwide, and proving that stepping away from a prestigious degree isn't a failure but a powerful act of self-determination. On World Mental Health Day 2026, honouring the official theme and tagline "Lived Experiences Heard: Real Voices, Real Change, read me at Human Library IIT Palakkad to understand defying parental expectations, managing a thriving business right next to my family kitchen, or navigating the stigma of trading the courtroom for the beauty salon in the conservative 1990s.
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HUMAN BOOK NO 15
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Title: From Autistic Child to Employed Citizen
Tagline: Redefining the future for differently abled adults by turning parental worry into a community workforce.
Short Description: When parents receive a diagnosis of autism, the first question is often, "What will happen to my child when they grow up?" For years, society viewed special needs children as lifelong dependents meant to remain hidden at home. My late wife and I refused to accept that narrative for our son.
Our journey spanned from the Gulf to Mysore, culminating in the creation of a parental association that successfully placed 35 adult "Specials" into mainstream corporate jobs—including my son as a tech manufacturer. Our efforts earned national acclaim and inspired an international documentary film. Today, following the heartbreaking loss of my wife, I have returned to my roots in Palakkad. On World Mental Health Day 2026, honouring the official theme and tagline Lived Experiences Heard: Real Voices, Real Change, read me at Human Library IIT Palakkad to understand navigating an autism diagnosis in the 1980s, convincing corporations to hire differently-abled adults, coping with profound family grief, and my new mission to build a supportive, employable future for special needs adults right here in Keralam.
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