GUWAHATI, March 4 � A young NSD graduate wanted to know the world and inhibitions of people with short stature who are referred to as dwarves and he conceptualized a theatre and vocational training for these people.
Pabitra Rabha is at present training 27 such people from different corners of the State and at the same time he too is imbibing lessons of humility and humanity. He did not want to be different, but was anxious to give an opportunity to these people to live life with dignity.
Till now, such people face the jeering of the crowd, stones are pelted at them and at some places they are also thought of as bringing ill luck.
Talking to The Assam Tribune, Rabha said that he was curious about the life style of these people and his present project was no less than a journey of self discovery and learning.
�I wanted to prove that physical height does not matter in conquering the world. The participants in my workshop have the talent and the determination to achieve the target,� said Rabha who is also the founder of Dapon-The Mirror, an amateur theatre group.
At first it was difficult for Rabha to convince these people and their guardians to be a part of the project. But he did not give up and finally succeeded in garnering their response.
The month long workshop is focused in removing the inhibitions in the mind of these people which acts as a wall separating them from the other people. �These people with less height suffer from an inferiority complex because the other people with normal height look down upon them. As part of the workshop, we have conducted tours so that the participants and the rest of the world come together,� said Rabha.
The height of the participants ranges between one-and-a-half foot to three foot and their ages vary between 5 to 40 years. Of the participants, 7 are girls.
Sending the participants out to mix with other people has started yielding the desired results. Rabha said that the participants have gained in confidence and the others have gained in humanity by realizing that short statured people too have a mind and heart and no less inferior to them.
�We are happy that a societal change is coming through the workshop,� said Rabha.
