Thread by @Rakeshkamal

I can't smell. Not because of cold or COVID. I can't smell by birth. It is called #CongenitalAnosmia (CA). In a chat with the @AbhiSuryawanshi, the only other Indian i know who accepts to not being able to smell by birth, told me that it is classified as a #RareDisease

As a kid i thought i will learn to smell, just like how anyone learns to speak or read. I acted like i could smell. I covered my 👃 along with all my classmates and blamed someone for the fart. It was my little secret that I can't smell. No one could tell & no one will believe.

I think my grandfather also suffered with #Anosmia. He struggled with smells but he never spoke about it. I think the reason he went to the other extreme of selling incense sticks and talcum powder to prove he was not. For obvious reasons, the businesses failed big time!

My mother wouldn't have put me incharge of turning off the stove if only she knew. So many times i burnt milk or accidentally left the gas stove on that now i have a gas detector. It scared me everytime i heard news about industrial gas leaks. I wonder how many dead were anosmic

I only started talking about Anosmia at 21, after i met my spouse @priyakamal (then girl friend). All those years, I lied to my parents, friends, doctors.. more importantly i lied to myself. I lied because no one would belive me, they would laugh at me.

Around the world, 1 in 10000 people suffer with Congenital Anosmia. As far as i know, there are no stats in India. Infact, I only know one other person who has CA in India! I am sure in a country with a billion people there are more! rarediseases.info.nih.gov/diseases/9486/…

So, you may ask, why don't more people talk about it? I think it's because we are not taught the vocabulary. You are taught in primary school, what people who can't see or hear are called. No one tells that there are people who can't smell also. We take it for granted.

The word Anosmia is itself confused with Insomnia, Anemia or Ammonia! And what about vernacular languages, is there a word for Anosmia in Telugu? I googled. It is called ఘ్రాణ జ్ఞాన లోపము
(Ghrāṇa jñāna lōpamu). Now imagine a 5 year old kid telling this!

Why should anyone talk about this? Because there is not enough research being done. It is not considered a problem. If a Dr examines months old baby for hearing and eye sight, why are kids not examined for smell? May be it can be fixed if detected early. But how will Dr check?

In many, Anosmia is a symptom of #COVID19. Many are getting depressed because of Anosmia. If more research was done earlier we would have probably been able to handle it better. @AbhiSuryawanshi tells me that the number of people searching for Anosmia has increased 300% on wiki.

What am i going to do to increase Anosmia awareness?
➡️Feb 27 is Anosmia Awareness day. ➡️This year i want to talk more about it. ➡️Reach out to more media outlets to talk about it.
➡️Maybe even do a mini podcast about it.

What can you do to promote about Anosmia?
➡️Introduce the word 'Anosmia' to your kids.
➡️Tell them to be empathetic to people who can't smell.
➡️Spread the message and help me find atleast the third Indian who is Congenital Anosmic!
➡️Let's get an Emoji that says i can't smell 😛

Wow. I didn't think my tweet will blow up! I strongly recommend you to listen to my interview on @TheSmellPodcast where i talk in detail about Anosmia here podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cHM6…

Also recommend you to listen to @SunoIndia_in podcast "1 in 20000" on #RareDiseases, hosted by the amazing @avshrivas here. Season 2 will be launched soon! So suscribe and stay tuned! podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cHM6…