1St experience with a special child

I used to live in Agra as a kid and near our "Thana sadar bazar"
 was a small colony called Naulakkha(nine lakhs) colony which was my regular hang out place.
  In the same naulakkha colony lived my friend Deepali who had a disabled child.He could not speak properly, nor listen or understand and even walk.He walked with metal legs wearing big spectacles and had a body of 3 year old even when he was 10 or 12.Family was not well to do as i recall his father used to repair watches in his spare time after some clerical job.This little guy named Jhonny use to live all day by the window watching other kids go to school and come back.Soon he too started dreaming of school.His parents ran pillar to post to get him admission but no school was ready to take him Soon they gave up.I don't know how they told him but he too understood that.
 The colony had kind of play ground where waste was thrown and cows, pigs rested.It had a electricity pillar in between with little cemented area where a kid could sit.One day i saw Jhonny sitting their in month of may in the middle of the day.When i asked i came to know that Jhonny takes his water bottle,lunch and bag and leaves for "School" each day.He says bye and go and sit under that pillar.He eats his lunch pretends to study and comes back when he sees other kids returning.Sitting without shade under Agra's hot sun and blowing loos was heart wrenching thought for me even as a kid.Nobody was able to convince Jhonny to quit his mission.And he kept on his routine till i know no matter what the weather conditions were.
 What he learnt in his so called school or why he did that is food for thought.How his family suffered seeing him like this is other question and how society treats such kid falls into other debate.What concerns me most is the way we take our health, well being,normality so much for granted.We kkep on striving complaining about other things without thinking how much blessed we are.
  I always wondered what to do for him. I still get tears when i think about him.This was my first experience with a special child.Second was in Noida it self.