Kesara Kahandaliyanage knew from a very young age what he wanted to be when he grew up.
As a toddler he would play with his sister’s cooking set. As a six year-old, he would perch himself on the kitchen table and help his nanny stir whatever was being cooked. Not long after that, when he was tall enough to see the cooker he would cook meals for his family- not because he had to but because he absolutely loved it.
The typical childhood dreams of being a pilot or a doctor were not for Kesara. He was intent on becoming a chef.
Now 17 years old, Kesara still cherishes his dream of becoming a chef, considering that all his life, he has battled the challenges brought on by autism.
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| Chef in the making: Kesara at work |
“I know that Kesara knows he is special,” says his sister Shiwanthi. “But I don’t think he ever felt it when he was younger, and now he's at a point where his symptoms could be passed off as shyness.
In a country where autism is not only a condition which people are unfamiliar with but also one that holds some social stigma and autistic people are shunned and considered disabled, Kesara’s story brings hope to children and adults alike. “I feel people need to be educated about autism,” says Kesara’s mother Malathi. “In most cases, it is simply a fear of the unknown and this is why social integration is a challenge.”
Autism is characterized by impaired social interaction, problems with verbal and nonverbal communication and unusual, repetitive, or severely limited activities and interests. “But this does not mean that autism renders a person completely helpless,” says Samantha Sellamuttu, director of Chariot Catering, where Kesara is currently following a six month course in basic cookery.
Samantha describes Kesara as “a nice, polite, respectful and talented boy,” and points out that despite the typical problems associated with autism, Kesara had absolutely no problem fitting in and shows a great deal of promise. “What he is doing now is a general cookery course, and if he shows promise in a particular field of cooking, we will enrol him in a related course,”she says.
Chariot has been conducting courses for some time now, but this is the first time an autistic student has enrolled in one. “I feel that we have all learned a great deal by having Kesara with us. We have learnt how to be more sensitive and understanding towards people who are classed as different,” reflects Samantha. |
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