Short isn바카라t necessarily sweet, especially for the dwarf community.
Marginalised and scoffed at because of their height, dwarfs are neglected, discriminated against and socially excluded globally. In real life, they are objects of amusement and in Indian circuses and cinema, where some dwarfs tend to find employment, they are only given 바카라comic바카라 roles.
Assam바카라s Pabitra Rabha, 46, an actor-cum-director, resolved to fight the stigma and discrimination faced by those affected by Dwarfism, a genetic condition which limits height.
Rabha, an alumnus of National School of Drama, in 2008, started Dapoon바카라The Mirror, a theatre group with 30 dwarf members. 바카라Sardar of Dwarfs바카라 is his new moniker now.
바카라Short people do not get the same respect like others. The aim of launching the theatre group was to show that short people are capable of doing everything like other people,바카라 says the Udalguri-born Rabha. He scoured the country with a friend looking for dwarfs and convinced around 30 to join his theatre group. It wasn바카라t easy.
바카라Some thought they would be sold to circus groups. Parents of some didn바카라t allow them to come with us. Many came with apprehensions,바카라 he says. In 2011, Rabha showcased his first play with dwarf actors. The play Kinu Kou (What Can I Say) was a collage of discrimination, life struggles and stigmas faced by the community. Since 2011, the play has had 100 shows across India.
바카라People who have seen our plays performed by dwarf artistes realised that they are in no way lesser than a person with average height. It brought the otherwise socially excluded community closer to people,바카라 Rabha adds. The theatre group has now incorporated other artistes in the mix.
바카라If we only showcase lives of short people performed by short people, we will again exclude them from the mainstream. We perform plays based on social issues of any kind and cast dwarf artistes along with others,바카라 he says.
Rabha has now set up 바카라Amar Gaon바카라 (Our Village), in Udalguri, where artists can practice their craft. 바카라Many of these artistes also organise workshops on theatre바카라 attend schools and colleges nearby. Some are anganwadi workers, teachers etc. Many help me grow rice, mustard, turmeric and fish at my farm. Amar Gaon바카라s objective is to become self-sustained and cater to education, health care of the artistes,바카라 he tells Outlook.
His passion for restoring dignity to the dwarf community has also been scoffed at often.
바카라Many accused me of trying to do business with dwarfs. But today I feel, we have somehow become successful in bringing the community closer to society. This was my aim when I started 14 years back,바카라 he says.
(This appeared in the print edition as "Standing Tall")
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