The lights are dimmer than usual, and there are no loud music played or announcements made. Vaishnav Sekhar pushes a trolley through an aisle in Big Bazaar, Race Course. He looks at the list in his hand and picks noodles, chips, biscuits and fizzy drinks with the help of his father, Sekhar Narayanan. Vaishnav has Down syndrome. And he is at the Big Bazaar to shop during Quiet Hour. The store has introduced this hour to encourage people with disability to shop in comfort. “Inclusion is one of our missions. This programme was launched in 21 stores across North India last week. This week it is introduced in three stores, two in Chennai and one in Coimbatore,” says Rajkumar M, Deputy Manager.

Hundred and twenty staff members were trained by Akila Vaidyanathan, Director and Founder of Amaze Charitable Trust, an organisation that helps people with Autism. “Sensitizing our staffs was the first thing that we did. We had three sessions of one and a half hours each. We understood that creating the right environment is what we can do for them,” says Rajkumar. There will be 10 people on each floor ready to assist the shoppers if required. “We also ask our regular customers to choose baskets instead of trolleys. This will give space for those coming in wheel chairs to move around easily. There are stickers with names and pictures of the products pasted around to help them locate things easily,’ he adds. There will also be a play area with paints, puzzles and sensory games.

“People in the autism spectrum can have trouble in communicating their thoughts to others. Many of them can have issues with light and sound. They may not behave in the way that the society expects them to and people might say insensitive things to the child or parent. These experiences can lead to seclusion of these people. I am glad that things are slowly changing,” says Akila. She says that her son, Nishant Sriram, who is autistic was excited to make his shopping list. “He bought chocolates, juice and chips from the list.”

N Padmeswari, mother of Shyam Karthik looks as excited as her son. “He is autistic. Though we take him regularly for shopping, we get curious looks. This disturbs Shyam. This is a safe space, without judgements,” she says. Saraswathi K and her son Deepan K are busy searching for biscuit. He has a physical disability that makes him unable to stand or walk for a long time. “Here, we rested for a while in between when he got tired. Usually, supermarkets will be crowded and have long queues at the cash counters. There are usually no seating areas. We are compelled to leave the store half way into our shopping. Here, it is different.” In the play area, 20-year-old Yogesh, also in the Autism range,concentrates on the task of throwing colourful balls into a bucket kept at a distance. “He loves skating, cycling and swimming and painting. I think I will bring him next week as well. He is happy here,” says Chitra P, his mother.