The movie Sitare Zameen Par shines a spotlight on the lives of neurodivergent children and adults. It raises awareness about their unique challenges and encourages society to see them with appreciation and empathy—as individuals who also need to be valued and cared for.

From the Bhagavad-gita’s perspective, we can look at this subject through the acronym ACT:

A – Awareness

C – Concern

T – Transcendence

 

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A – Awareness

Many of you know that I walk with the help of crutches. In that sense, I’m visibly different from most people. But when I interact with individuals on the autism spectrum, I realize that I have a significant advantage: my disability is easily perceivable.

If I can’t carry a suitcase, people around me immediately understand and offer help. In contrast, those with cognitive or behavioral limitations due to neurodivergence often face misunderstanding. Their challenges aren’t seen as functional limitations—but are wrongly perceived as character flaws.

This is why movies like Sitare Zameen Par are so important. Cinema shapes perception. And a film that reaffirms the intrinsic humanity of people—irrespective of how their brains work—helps build a more inclusive society.

This awareness is even more crucial in a country like India, where students and adults alike are largely evaluated by their intellectual abilities. A similar film, Taare Zameen Par, portrayed a child who had artistic gifts despite struggling academically.

The Bhagavad-gita helps us here by emphasizing a key point: we are not our brains.

Yes, technological progress has made tasks easier, but it has also elevated the status of those whose intelligence aligns with that technology. In such a society, the brain often gets valued more than the body. This makes it even harder for those who face neurological limitations to find acceptance.

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C – Concern

While Sitare Zameen Par compassionately depicts the sweetness and sensitivity of neurodivergent individuals, it also subtly emphasizes their utility to society. While positive stereotypes are better than negative ones, they can still be limiting.

Earlier, neurodivergent individuals might have been casually dismissed as “pagal.” Now they may be celebrated—but often in a reductive way: “They are different, but they are nice people who contribute something special.”

However, from a spiritual perspective, we understand that every individual has dignity—not because of their utility, but because of their divinity.

Yes, we should nurture the gifts they have. But they, like all human beings, also face challenges. And those who care for them will have their challenging moments too. After all, even ordinary children test our patience—and beyond our physical or mental differences, we all live with moody and turbulent minds.

So let’s not expect all neurodivergent people to always be friendly and joyful. Life is difficult not just because of how the world is, but also because of how our own mind is.

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T – Transcendence

Here’s where the Gita offers its deepest insight: everyone has intrinsic worth—because everyone is an eternal part of God.

Beyond social appreciation and practical support, the most powerful transformation comes when we recognize and honor the spiritual essence of each person.

The value of a human being is not determined by how visibly or measurably they contribute to society. It is rooted in who they are—eternally.

When we raise awareness about neurodivergence, let us also raise awareness of every soul’s inviolable spiritual worth.

This understanding allows us to support neurodivergent individuals not just with sympathy, but with genuine respect. And it can also help everyone else—even those considered “neurotypical”—who may silently struggle with insecurity.

Because deep down, many of us fear that we are only as valuable as society’s validation of us.

The Gita teaches otherwise.

You are valuable—not because of what you do, but because of who you are: a beloved, eternal spark of the Divine.