Ananya Child Development Centre Podcast · Ananya CDC

The Unique Journey of Siblings: Growing Up With an Autistic Brother

·28 min·1 clip

Pranav rejects the idea of Varun living elsewhere and says, “I want him to live with me with my family.”

1. Ananya Child Development Centre Podcast focuses on siblings growing up with autism through Pranav Kumar Chenichari’s experience with his brother Varun. 2. Madhavi Adimulam hosts Pranav Kumar Chenichari, who is co-founder of Ananya and speaks as both a professional and Varun’s younger brother. 3. The episode asks what sibling life looks like when an autistic brother shapes school, travel, family roles, and future caregiving. 4. Pranav says he understood at age 3 or 4 that Varun did not like the same toys, games, or socialising and did not talk much. 5. He describes that understanding as gradual rather than a single moment, and says he accepted Varun’s differences early. 6. Madhavi asks whether he felt left out, but Pranav says he did not, because he asked for attention and learned to work around Varun’s difficulties. 7. He recalls a childhood book called “My Brother is Different,” which helped him understand why Varun had different rules at home. 8. He says McDonald’s toy choices and language-labeled toy covers became small ways he and Varun shared routines without fighting. 9. School in the UK becomes a difficult stage because Varun was away from home for six or seven hours and required shadow teachers. 10. Pranav describes standing up to a bully, checking on Varun during toilet breaks, and feeling that he had to act like an older sibling. 11. He says being at the same school also made him feel safer because Varun was “a corridor away.” 12. Pranav explains that he told friends about autism directly after returning to India, and he described Varun as a “savant” and “prodigy” with languages. 13. He says other children stared out of curiosity rather than ill intent, and he did not feel bothered by that attention. 14. Travel questions lead to food routines: dosa batter, special poddies, chutneys, and a phase when Varun ate only dosa and ketchup. 15. Pranav says Varun became easy to travel with when occupied by books, pens, and writing in different languages. 16. He says he took tabla after trying keyboard, guitar, and singing, partly because Varun was already doing Hindustani music. 17. Madhavi says Varun’s public recognition pushed Pranav to work harder, and Pranav links that pressure to choosing medicine. 18. He says medicine lets him understand autism and the daily difficulties faced by children at Ananya, where he sees “a little piece of Varun” in many children. 19. The conversation stays conversational and reflective, with Madhavi using family memories and Pranav answering in a calm, personal style. 20. Listeners who care about autism, sibling roles, or Indian family caregiving will get the most from it, while people wanting a fast clinical interview may skip it.

As heard by us

A family-centered conversation that makes sibling care and autism feel immediate, personal, and clear.

Ananya Child Development Centre keeps this conversation grounded in family life, which is where it lands best. Madhavi Adimulam talks with co-founder Dr.

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Why you'd press play

For when you need a sibling's-eye view of autism at home.

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