'He showed us adult films on his phone, insisted on giving us body massages'

The troupe has been performing under Syed Sallauddin Pashas aegis for over a decadeThe gurushishya culture is the most revered and trustworthy custom But for Syed Sallauddin Pasha that relationship holds little reverence The pioneer of therapeutic theatre who trains disabled children in mythological and Sufi dances yoga and martial arts on wheels has allegedly gypped 10 artistes mdash including a Guinness World Record holder under his care of their rightful earnings through international talent shows and sexually abused three of themHe allegedly threw them out on November 28 last year in violation of his own acceptance letter leaving them penniless and on their own The affected dancers comprising seven polioaffected boys and three deaf and mute girls in the age group of 2226 who put up three performances in the city over the last few weeks opened up to midday right before boarding a train back to New Delhi on SaturdaySyed Sallauddin PashaThey revealed that Pasha pulled them out of school over a decade ago deprived them of a fair remuneration for performing in international talent shows and also sexually abused three deaf and mute girls amongst them The girls were also allegedly forced to perform menial jobs in Pashas Delhibased notforprofit organisation Ability Unlimited FoundationPromising the moonOne of the youngsters Arjun said the seven boys hail from different parts of Uttar Pradesh The girls are from Delhi The boys were students of a school for children with special needs in Delhi when Pasha a Bharatanatyam exponent was invited to train them for the annual day function in 2003The troupe has been setting the national and international stage on fire with its performancesPasha saw the potential in the seven boys talent and convinced them and their families to let him take them under his wing He assured the families of taking care of their education and providing them with a bright future The families saw a way out of their poverty through Pashas promises said Gulshan Kumar one of the youngsters who holds the Guinness World Record in the most spins in a wheelchair mdash 62 mdash in a minuteIn 2006 the school decided to send the boys on a monthtrip talent tour to the US the UK and Canada and asked Pasha to accompany them The little artistes were such a hit that Pasha took them out of school the next year and admitted them to his foundation The boys said to date the performance troupe has gone on over 1000 national and international shows in Russia the US Canada Italy Venice and Milan Nepal UAE Dubai Oman MuscatGulshan Kumar who holds a Guinness World Record PicSayeed Sameer AbediUsed as moneyspinnersBut Pasha allegedly exploited their disability and talent to his advantage right from the get go While the boys performed in 1015 shows a month they allegedly got a piddling remuneration of R500 a month till 2013He pocketed all the proceeds from talent shows During international shows he kept a donation box seeing funds for our aid but we never met any of the sponsors mediapersons or benefactors He kept all the cash awards said Kumar During Diwali or Eid we had to beg for money Even then he gave us only a few hundred rupeesPasha with social activist Anna Hazare and right actor Aamir KhanThe naiumlve youngsters wised up to his alleged treachery during a programme when the organiser handed over a dummy cheque of R2 lakh to Pasha We realised we were being taken for a ride with the R500 remuneration revealed KumarWhile the boys managed to get an official acceptance letter drawn up in 2013 according to which their pay went up to Rs 15000 the three girls mdash who joined the troupe nine years ago mdash continued to be paid only R500 till they were shunted out last NovemberSexual misdemeanoursThe deaf and mute girls meanwhile revealed much heinous misdemeanours He showed us adult movies on his phone and insisted on giving us body massages He knew we were uncomfortable despite not being able to voice the distress out loud Sometimes he even gifted us undergarments the girls gave in writingThey said they kept mum out of respect for their guru Besides given our condition it would have been difficult to approach the police We also didnt want to worry our parents read the letterDuring hotel stays for performances he allegedly made the girls stay with him in his room Things finally came to a head on November 28 last year when Pasha threw the youths out of his foundation without any means to fend for themselves The group wants a thorough probe into their gurus dealings and bring him to bookWatch video here