Jyoti Kaur, a Delhi-based lawyer, was three-and-a-half years old when her brother Raby was born. The youngest of three siblings, he is now 37 years old.

As they grew up, Jyoti noticed Raby looked different, though she didn’t know why. Their mother knew during pregnancy that Raby had Down syndrome but chose to give birth to him anyway, naming him Raby to signify a gift from rab (God).

“From the moment he entered our lives, it didn’t take too long for him to cement his place in our hearts,” Jyoti shares.

In their household, there was never any discussion about Raby being different. He also never received any preferential treatment—if he made a mistake, he was scolded; if he did something good, he was praised.

“To me, Raby’s condition was just a differentiator. Some people are fat, thin, tall, short and so on. My brother had Down syndrome. That was it,” shares Jyoti.

Down syndrome is a condition in which a person has an extra copy of chromosome 21. “My brother is so much more than some chromosomes,” says Jyoti, while Raby quips in his Instagram bio, “I have an extra chromosome, it makes me extra special.”

While Jyoti attended school, Raby was home-schooled by their mother, who devoted hours to equip him for an independent life.

Three years after Raby’s birth, the family, who lived in Kuwait, was forced to flee to India overnight, owing to Iraq’s military occupation. The sudden change was difficult, but it also brought Jyoti and Raby closer, forming an unbreakable bond.

Although Raby was easy to love, Jyoti admits she worried about how others would perceive him. However, his infectious positivity quickly won people over.

She recalls there wasn’t a single instance where he threw a fit, got angry, or sulked. “For him, everything and everyone was good.”

Years passed, and Jyoti pursued a career in law, while Raby turned his talent in art into a means of earning money by making and selling paintings and decorated diyas for Diwali.

“The first time Raby was paid for making diyas is a fond memory for all of us. He was so happy, and we all celebrated together,” says Jyoti, who is inspired by Raby’s commitment and diligence for work.

In 2022, the siblings lost their mother to cancer. Jyoti feared the impact on Raby, but he handled it with a maturity that pleasantly surprised everyone. 

“It was as though he knew what was coming,” she recalls. His strength became a source of support for his sisters.

When asked if having a sibling with Down syndrome is difficult, Jyoti’s answer is always the same: “It has been so easy, because he has filled our lives with unadulterated happiness. We couldn’t have asked for anything more.”