It’s a small-minded world that ridicules and exploits people with dwarfism. Here in Mumbai, though, some of them go on to find community, family, work, and respect
Taj Mohammad Ansari and his wife Asiya met in Mumbai through acquaintances. They have been married for 10 years and have a nine-year-old daughter, Alfiya. Pic/Shadab Khan
His childhood was mired in abuse, bullying, being abandoned by his family and ridiculed — all because he was a person with dwarfism. Atul Ingale, 31, now has a family of people around the Mumbai Metropolitan Region with the same condition. All of them have had difficult lives and are still struggling to make a living.
Born in a tiny village in Bhusaval district, Ingale, who now goes by the name Atul Dabang, remembers classmates calling him names and even throwing stones at him, thinking him to be a freak. He dropped out of school, and then a circus company came touring to his village. The owners spoke to Ingale’s family and at 10, he was sent away to the harsh life of the touring company in exchange for a steady stream of income. The family did visit him sometimes, but he never saw his beloved grandmother again. He only heard about her passing a couple of months after her death.
Taj Mohammad Ansari, his wife Asiya and their daughter Alfiya. Pic/Shadab Khan; Other pics/Pic/By Special Arrangement
In the circus, the trainers whipped him and denied him food as a way to train him. “I would keep toppling and falling even when put on the stage. Even when I was genuinely in pain, people would laugh and clap, thinking of it as a part of my performance,” he recalls. Fortunately for him, he escaped the company by slipping away and boarding a random train while they were travelling.
This train brought him to Mumbai where he slept in trains, ate with the fakirs outside mosques and “just survived on people’s kindness, but never went to bed hungry again”.
People with dwarfism still rely on entertainment jobs for a living
His adopted surname was a result of hanging around the Film City, asking for work which eventually led him to a bit part in the Salman Khan movie of the same name. Since then, he has gone on to do more than a hundred films, including many produced in Malegaon.
Like him, there are many little persons with similar stories who were shunned and derided. Dwarfism doesn’t just affect their height, it also leads to malformed bones which restrict movement of limbs and mobility as well as other health complications. Only in 2015 did the Indian Government recognise dwarfism as a disability.
Atul Ingale with his arm around Vilas Rupvate, whose charitable organisation distributed ration kits to people with dwarfism, among others, during the COVID-19 pandemic
Some like Abhiman Unwane, 30, still continue to work in a mini circus. He had been performing with a troupe from his hometown Beed since 2011, engaging in stunts, dances and all kinds of physical comedy after getting inspired by a group of street play performers. He decided to move closer to Mumbai in 2016 for better opportunities and is currently living in Badlapur.
“The actual circus work hardly goes on for a couple of months in the winters. At that time, we organise touring circuses all over the country. The rest of the year, we have to look for birthday parties, weddings, carnivals and other such avenues to work,” says Unwane. He adds that he has not had any work for the past three months and it has become difficult to survive on his savings alone.
Irfan Sheikh with a co-performer
The entertainment industry has come to the rescue of some people with dwarfism like Irfan Sheikh, 43, who goes by the screen name Irfan Bachkana, and has been working in the movies since 2001. While he was a teenager growing up in Chembur, a circus company had approached his parents as well. Despite his parents’ refusal, the company kept visiting and he was protected at the time by the local goons! Other people with dwarfism have also have similar stories of being approached by circus troupes.
Taking inspiration from the actor Lilliput, he started looking for work in the movies, even going to the extent of standing outside Salman Khan’s house for hours getting drenched in the rains many times. He caught the attention of Sohail Khan and landed in the movies as a junior artiste.
Atul Ingale with actor Salman Khan, in whose film Dabangg he had a small role and which gave him the name of Atul Dabang
“Most people we meet on a daily basis don’t hesitate in calling us by derogatory terms like Chhotu, Tingu and Batla. However, the people in the entertainment industry, including big actors like Salman Khan and Sanjay Dutt, treat us with love and respect on the sets,” he says.
These days he is more active in events, even getting other little people who can dress up as Charlie Chaplin, clowns, and other characters. “I was lucky to have constant work for all these years. As a community of people with dwarfism, we have held several protests to get some government facilities extended to us. Nothing has worked so far,” says a frustrated Sheikh. The only help from the government comes in the form of a R1500-a-month disability cover. Despite several efforts, very few from the community have got the stalls that the state government allots to people with disabilities since dwarfism was categorised as a disability.
Ajay Navi, who first faced the camera in the iconic television show Shaktimaan, is grateful to the entertainment industry for providing opportunities to so many little persons. Right after completing high school, he started working in the local orchestra as a funny man, often doing mimicry. He then got introduced to actor Chhotu Dada who helped him get into the television shows.
“Even this line of work is highly unpredictable. Like any freelancer, junior artists face financial cons and are often shortchanged. All this leaves little scope to make a decent living as a person with dwarfism. Men still have the avenue of working whatever job comes their way, while opportunities for little women are very hard to come by,” says Navi. Recently though, he is happy to see some of these women getting work as entertainers in the past few years.
He also talks about how the infrastructure in the city is not very comfortable to use for a person with dwarfism. Whether it be the public transport like trains and buses, or the escalators in malls, or even public toilets, almost all such amenities are useless for little persons.
Not all people with dwarfism have to go through the rigmarole of circus life, though. Govandi resident Asiya Ansari, 44, has been fortunate to have a supportive family, a caring husband and a daughter, Alfiya. Growing up in the lanes of Ghatkopar, she fondly remembers how her parents were always encouraging her to do better and disregard the ridicule and sneers of other children. She went on to get a diploma in teaching and subsequently landed a job in a private school as well. She also pursued acting in plays and eventually went on to act in television shows as well.
A chance meeting with an acquaintance led her to her husband Taj Mohammad Ansari, 37, who works in a bag-making unit located close to their home in Govandi. Belonging to a small village near Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh, Taj had come to Mumbai looking for work at the age of 15. “My parents had always neglected me, and still don’t talk to me much. I came here with the intention of earning for myself,” he says.
The couple, married for 10 years, have a nine-year-old daughter. Her biggest health struggle was during pregnancy as the doctors warned that it would be very difficult for her to give birth due to her short build, her height being around 4 feet.
“I had always wanted to be a mother. I sacrificed my career and risked my health to have my daughter. She is the biggest blessing of my life,” says Asiya. After the pregnancy, she started having health issues, gained a lot of weight, rendering her unable to work outside of the house. She also got busy with the kid. Despite her limited mobility which prevents her from picking her daughter up, Asiya struggles to get an updated disability certificate that reflects her current health status.
Vilasbhau Rupvate of Maharashtra Niradhar ani Devdasi Mahila Sanghatna has helped several people with dwarfism get a disability certificate. “Many individuals with dwarfism do not display problems like pain in limbs or spine until their middle age. If they get the certificate at a younger age, updating the extent of disability later becomes a big hassle as well,” he said.
This is exactly what has happened in the case of Asiya, whose disability certificate had been made much before her pregnancy. With Taj also pushing 40 and finding it difficult to work, they are worried about their financial future. The couple just wish that they can provide a good education to their daughter, who is enrolled in a private school, and buy a house someday.
2015
The year dwarfism was officially recognised as a disability
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