The day I woke up as an autistic person
The biggest shock of waking up autistic is, of course, that I have probably lived a fake life for 34 years. But there were moments that stood out, moments that held real meaning. This would be one such moment - coincidentally, around 6:30 am on a day in late December 2014, in Bengaluru. On Saturday, the 13th of September 2025, at the age of 34 years, 5 months, and 24 days, at around 6:30 am, I woke up as a new person – an autistic person. I fall short of saying a proud autistic person, as it is a title so new to me, so new that I wonder if ‘autist’ is a valid term, but it is with some excitement that I awoke. I have mulled the title for a few months now, my Eureka moment came some time in early 2025, what made this morning special was that I had come out the night before to an old friend, who had not judged me, who had not spoken of it as a disorder, and who had expressed a desire to be in my life more, which proposal obviously I promptly shot down. Joy is an emo...