The stage shines with ambition and grace as their wheelchairs bounce in rhythm.
For the first time in the world, Ability Unlimited Foundation presented ‘Bharatnatyam and Sufi dance on wheel chairs, last week in Chennai.’
Of the 10 members of the dance troupe, six of them are on wheelchairs and four of them are hearing impaired who dance to the beat of the music. Their master cum founder guru, Syed Sallauddin Pasha, has won the national award, from the president of India, for outstanding performances in the field of empowerment of persons with disabilities 2007.
Guruji Pasha speaks about the hurdles he faces in conducting the event. He says, “I have been in this field for more than 30 years and I must say I am extremely ashamed of all the Sabhas that conduct dance programs yet never think of the disabled. What this community needs is not sympathy but opportunity.”
Many of the dancers have been with the foundation for more than 12 years. “The process of bringing them out of their shell seems quite a task. The parents are counselled following several counselling sessions with the disabled youngsters after which the training begins. The dance training does not just empower the personality of the disabled persons but is also a therapeutic treatment,” says Pasha.
He also goes on to add, “Any physical or mental blockages they have are opened up and done away with. It is a unique medical treatment as they learn movements from rhythm and are counseled to observe their surroundings.”
With over 70 million disabled persons in India alone, people are yet to open their minds about accepting them into society. Says dancer Vijay, “I have been dancing for so long that I have successfully made a career in it. I never thought someone like me could but Guruji changed that.”
One can only hope that through time equality is not a goal but reality.
