There are so many things I do not know about my sons. We get to know things about them randomly. I didn’t even know that a group called South Arcade (from the UK) existed — or that Anand loved them!
On July 12th, Anand decided to buy a ticket for their concert in Cambridge, scheduled for October.
His favorite movies have been on my calendar for months — which is normal, because you see those ads on TV. But this concert? I had no idea how serious he was until he booked the ticket and added the event to our family calendar.
It was a Wednesday evening concert, right in the middle of the week. Anand had no idea how he would get there — he just wanted to go. For things like this, he usually goes to his dad because mom tends to ask too many questions (and might say no!).
Making him independent and having him take public transport had always been on my list. And, somewhere unrelated to this, after a big argument in September — as always — something shifted. Anand became public-transport independent!
I wrote earlier about how he started taking the commuter rail, subway, and even the ferry, exploring the city on his own.
Finally, October arrived. The best part — we didn’t have to drive him to Cambridge for the concert. Anand would take the train!
My husband and I both had to be in the office that Wednesday, each with important meetings. But there was no panic in the house, no arguments, no stress — just a plan. Anand would take the train and go to the city.
He took the local GATRA bus to Franklin Station, the commuter rail to Boston, and then the Red Line to Cambridge. He hung out at the Cambridge Mall, ate somewhere nearby, and settled into the concert venue by 6 p.m.
He kept us updated throughout — his departure, his arrival, everything. We even discussed backup plans in case the concert ran late. The last train would get him to Franklin Station by 1 a.m., and one of us would pick him up.
After 7:30 p.m., pictures started appearing on our phones — his happy face glowing with excitement.
At 9:15 p.m., I got a FaceTime call. He was over the moon, talking about how amazing the concert was. I quickly checked the train schedule and reminded him that there was an earlier train he could take home.
He took the Red Line back to South Station and boarded the Franklin train. He kept sharing his live location, so we knew exactly where he was. We met him at Franklin Station at 11 p.m.
Oh, how happy and excited Anand was! I took a few pictures — the joy on his face was priceless. I couldn’t wait to hear every detail of his evening.
The next morning, he airdropped all the pictures and — to my surprise — asked me to write about it. That was so unlike Anand! I encouraged him to write his own story, but he insisted that I should do it.
That’s how this blog got delayed.
Keep dreaming. Keep pushing. Things do get better.
A few weeks later, there was another concert — one of its own kind.
A mother, who herself has a child on the spectrum and is also a professional singer, decided to organize a concert in a special-needs-friendly way.
Many families from the Desi Moms Network could finally experience something like this because it was designed especially for our community — sensory-friendly, welcoming, and completely free for these families.
For several parents, it was the very first time they could take their kids to a musical event without worry or hesitation. The joy in that room was beyond words.
It was truly one of a kind. She was phenomenal on stage, performing with her amazing crew — creating not just music, but memories and hope for so many families.
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