Ashok is a Pulitzer Prize-Luminary Commended Author, an accomplished artist and a brain injury rights advocate who believes in giving life a second chance. At the age of twenty-five, Ashok suffered a catastrophic, near-fatal brain hemorrhage which left him with epilepsy, distorted hearing, lifelong bisected blindness and many other complications. His strong survival instincts have enabled him to face the challenges to relearn everything from eating, thinking, walking to even seeing. Ashok’s stroke and his miraculous recovery are recorded in his critically-acclaimed memoir, The Day My Brain Exploded. The book has received worldwide acclaim and has received commendations from the likes of Publisher's Weekly, Harper's Magazine, Washington Post and many more. As a survivor, Ashok has become a proud brain injury rights advocate and serves on the board of the International Brain Injury Survivors Network and is a Subject Matter Expert (SME) for the Brain Injury Association of America. Ashok is also a renowned public speaker and artist and has had his work exhibited in galleries like Greenpoint Gallery and Exit Art New York to name a few.

What challenges did you face during your post-brain-surgery recovery? Were you given any unique therapies to help heal your brain?A: Now that my memoir THE DAY MY BRAIN EXPLODED: A TRUE STORY has just been optioned for the big screen by Animus Films, it is so strange to discuss all the challenges it took to get here. It all seems like eons before but simultaneously the pain is as fresh as ever.
My brain hemorrhage was the death of Ashok 1.0. So, in order for Ashok 2.0 to be formatted, I had to relearn every single thing, from walking, to talking, to eating, to using the bathroom, to simply thinking. Since the brain hemorrhage left me permanently blind in half of both my eyes, I’ve also had to relearn how to see the world. Not just so I can write and read and paint again, but just so I can shave my face without butchering it and cross the street without getting run over! Luckily, I’m still here. I still can’t believe it’s all becoming a movie!
My family and I were told that I should always try to keep my brain alert by watching news programs and game shows. I became hooked on Wheel of Fortune! And let me tell you, that show helped me retrain my vision (still does) and helped me strengthen my cognitive abilities. In fact, my adventures with watching Wheel of Fortune are lavishly noted in my memoir, and Vanna White is even mentioned in the book’s acknowledgements!

Which is more creatively satisfying, being an artist or a writer and why?A: Both are fabulous in that you are creating brand new worlds for your audience to enter each time.

Who can benefit from your memoir “The Day My Brain Exploded: A True Story”?A: So many people can benefit – not only my brothers and sisters in the disability community, but also our loved ones, friends, caregivers, and medical community. On a larger scale, the book also benefits anybody who has ever felt alienated, bullied, victimized, or felt like an outcast…. and needs to be reminded that s/he can SURVIVE.

Which is your most memorable work so far and why?A: Unquestionably, out of all the books I have authored or published, out of all my artworks or gallery shows I’ve had, out of all the keynote addresses I’ve given, my most memorable work – my greatest achievement -- is THE DAY MY BRAIN EXPLODED. Every day I get emails from families around the world, affected by brain injury, saying how the book has helped them. Makes everything worth it. If, tomorrow, I were to close my eyes forever, I will be content in knowing that the story of my birth and rebirth has been told to the world.

How do you face obstacles in life? What keeps you moving forward?A: I try to face obstacles in my life by calling upon the humor, courage, and resilience deep within me. Believing in God does the rest. Besides being brain-damaged and blinded, the hemorrhage also left me epileptic. My first grand mal seizure happened as I was walking in a New York City snowstorm. I thought I would never psychologically be able to walk on snow again. But many months later, I finally did. It’s amazing what we humans can accomplish the minute we think we don’t always have to run from the fire but instead make the gamble to walk through it.
I keep moving forward by trying to hold on to my sense of humor -- remembering that my laughter will always, always, be far more powerful than my tears.

What are your other hobbies?A: I’ve been watching way too much cable news these days.

What is your favorite place to visit? What do you love about that place?A: My spiritual and ancestral motherland: India! As I always say, India is, indeed, God’s backyard. Crowded. Messy. Noisy. Loud. Beautiful. Mystical. Gorgeous. Sublime.

What is your suggestion for families of children with disabilities to empower their children?A: Never stop reminding them they are perfect as they are! Teach them to always love and respect themselves, no matter which bullies come their way. My memoir details my childhood as a brown boy in an all-white town, in which I was consistently bullied, not because of my disabilities, but because of my skin color. Whether it’s your disability, sexuality, race, gender, or anything at all, there will always be people putting you down, especially when you’re a kid. Your job is to know there is nothing wrong with who you are, not one darn thing.

What tips/advice do you have for those in our community who want to publish their work?A: Many will tell you nothing can happen unless you have a literary agent. Let me tell you this is FALSE. In fact, literary agents, poor things, are going the way of the dinosaurs! Good riddance! This is a grand thing, as It seems many literary agents just like rejecting authors for the sake of rejecting them. I didn’t use an agent. Just cold-called a few publishers until I found the right one. Also, self-publishing is booming, and no matter what the ‘traditional’ publishing world states: being self-published is no longer a negative thing. But if you do want to go traditional, here’s my advice: Do what I did; contact editors and publishers directly via phone. Don’t wait for someone to do what you can do yourself.

Any special message for our community?A: Keep speaking your truth no matter who tells you to be quiet. Whether it be in art, music, writing, dancing, singing, show what you’re all about. You know that old saying “out of sight, out of mind”? It’s the same thing with disabilities. People will want to close their eyes or ignore any handicaps of others due to their own ‘discomfort.’ Don’t let their need for comfort deprive you of YOUR right to be visible and be heard. BE BOLD, BE BRAVE, BE FEARLESS!