The Mind Tree

The Mind Tree: A Miraculous Child Breaks the Silence of Autism is a book of the writings from a nonverbal, severely autistic boy, Tito Rajarshi Mukhopadhyay first published in 2003. Written at the ages of eight and eleven, The Mind Tree is an autobiographical account of Tito's view of the world and how autism has affected his ability to function within it.
Background
Tito Rajarshi Mukhopadhyay was born in Bangalore, India, in 1989, and had been diagnosed at the age of three with low-functioning, or severe, autism. His mother, Soma Mukhopadhyay, first noticed that her son was experiencing developmental delays at the age of nine months. Tito had trouble responding socially like other toddlers and was not progressing through typical developmental milestones such as responding to social cues, walking, or talking. These developmental delays led Tito and his mother to many doctors and diagnoses, but without luck, until Tito saw a psychiatrist and was finally diagnosed with low-functioning autism at the age of three. Soma responded to the diagnosis by exposing Tito to suitable toys that would keep his mind entertained and connected to reality. Soma, sacrificing her marriage and career as a chemist, became Tito's sole influencer and teacher with the help of other therapists. Noticing her son's interest in numbers, Soma teaches Tito the principles of mathematics which he enjoys thoroughly. Math, for Tito, was the first time he felt connected to reality and he began seeing the stories each curve and pattern of a number told, creating this bridge between fiction and reality. Tito began to create stories for everything he came across, pushing the limits of his imagination. A couple months later, Soma taught her son to write by tying a pencil to his hand and guiding his hand across a page continuously, and soon after, Tito was composing poetry all on his own. At the age of eight, Tito writes the first half of The Mind Tree "The Voice of Silence" with the assistance of his mother. Then, at the age of eleven, Tito finishes his book with "Beyond the Silence."
Synopsis
The first two parts of the book account for Tito's experiences throughout his childhood and the ways in which he understands the world. The next two sections are composed of fictional short stories written by Tito prior to the age of eleven and exist as fabrications of Tito's thoughts. They are Tito's way of expressing his reality with others in a language that can be understood despite the barrier his autism presents. Finally, the last section is a short compilation of Tito's poems that he decided to include to bring his writing together.
The Voice of Silence
This first section of The Mind Tree, "The Voice of Silence" was written when Tito was eight years old. Tito takes on a third person point of view when referring to himself, possibly to establish the idea that he does not feel connected to his own body. He feels that he is all spirit and no body. Tito introduces himself first by discussing the ways in which other people see him. He acknowledges the ways in which others look at him and speak of him, how they think he is odd, and how he embarrasses others. Although young and socially unresponsive, Tito has a complete understanding of the perspective of others. This notion introduces a new idea of autism and the ways in which the world can perceive it. Tito narrates the important events of his life and the obstacles that coupled his autism. He begins with an incident that occurred at his grandfather's funeral in which he crawls into the coffin alongside his deceased grandfather. The whispers and horror on the faces around him did not go unnoticed. This marked the very first time that Tito becomes wary of the judgements exuded by others and the realization that he was not like everyone else. Tito accounts for the first time he received the diagnosis "Autism" and how it carried no meaning for him, but it brought light to his parent's faces to finally have an answer. A recurring expression that Tito relates is that there exists a disconnect between his mind and his body and he knows the behavior that is expected of him by society, however, he does not know how to perform these said behaviors. His autism produces a disconnect between himself and the external world. Following his diagnosis, his mother Soma begins to teach him assuming that he is just as capable as the other children his age. Soma, noticing her son's interest in numbers, initially teaches Tito mathematics and the relationships between numbers. Following the success of this lesson, Soma finds herself inspired and empowered. She begins teaching Tito to tell stories by using an alphabet board that she constructed to help Tito communicate in his own way. Tito recounts the time his mother brought him to a doctor in order to find more help in dealing with his condition. The doctors insist that can be done to improve Tito's development past his nonverbal tendencies. Soma, unsatisfied with this outcome, returns home even more inspired. She teaches Tito to write by tying a pencil to Tito's hand and guiding it along a paper until Tito eventually got the hang of it and could hold the pencil and write with the assistance of a stencil provided by his mother. Shortly after, Tito began with his first therapist Dr. Prathibha Karanth, or as Tito called her " Kaki". Dr. Karanth remains an important figure in Tito's life being the first person, other than his mother, that could make him feel comfortable and understood. Dr. Karanth enacts a stringent philosophy in which her patients are to be treated as ordinary human beings and not according to the disorder they carry. This attitude helped Tito from getting discouraged or distracted and kept him focused on progress. Soon, at the age of five, Tito was able to compose entire poems. Burning quietly in the heart
Where quiet emotions lay
My love burnt with so strong glow,
The reason perhaps I can't say.
* Dr. Prathibha "Kaki" Karanth is a speech language pathologist and writer. Dr. Karanth, or as Tito called her "Kaki", was Tito's therapist for most of his life taking on the same strict position as his mother Soma. Dr. Karanth was the first person in Tito's life other than his mother to grant him comfort and make him feel understood, thereby, encouraging his self expression and learning.
* Roopa Rao was Tito's speech therapist and the first person to inspire Tito's poetry at the age of five.<ref name="Mukhopadhyay 2003" />
* Shantala was another one of Tito's therapist. Showing him compassion and kindness, Shantala encouraged Tito to try to be more independent and taught him to dress and feed himself.<ref name="Mukhopadhyay 2003" />
* Purnima Rao was Tito's paraprofessional at his first school, the Spastic Society of Karanataka. Purnima Rao corrected Tito's handwriting and reinforced Tito's education by helping him to feel comfortable in this new setting.<ref name="Mukhopadhyay 2003" />
* Ms. Shubhangi Dhuru was Tito's occupational therapist helping him to better understand his body in space and lessen the effects of his autotopagnosia.<ref name="Mukhopadhyay 2003" />
More by Tito Rajarshi Mukhopadhyay
* Beyond the Silence: My Life, the World, and Autism (2000)
* The Gold of the Sunbeams: And Other Stories (2005)
* Autism and the Myth of the Person Alone (2005)
* How Can I Talk If My Lips Don't Move: Inside My Autistic Mind (2008)
* I'm Not a Poet But I Write Poetry: Poems from My Autistic Mind (2012)
* Plankton Dreams: What I Learned in Special Ed (2015)

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