I was born with Arthrogryposis, a condition where a newborn has weak and defective joints. Either they are not fully formed, or their movement is restricted, and I have a problem with multiple joints such as the jaw, knee, hips etc.

When I was in the first standard, I got operated on for my knee joint as it was dislocated from its original place. For a whole year, I was subjected to braces. I was also supposed to get operated on for my hip joint, but the doctor turned me away at that time because he didn’t want to take any risk. He feared that if the operation wasn’t successful, there was a chance of getting paralysed my entire life.

I was born with dwarfism also. Doctors used to perform limb lengthening treatment at that time, which could have helped increase my height up to one foot. During the process, they used to put a screw around the leg, open and apart from it every few days and pull it a few centimetres. But the financial conditions of my home didn’t allow me to avail of this procedure as well.

When I was in school, the kindergarten kids bullied me, cheered at me, and laughed like anything. As soon as I used to step out of my house, beggars used to follow and tease me continuously, which was very disturbing. Because of this, I stopped going anywhere.

Depressed And Suicidal

While I was playing during my 10th standard, my foot slipped, and my left leg was badly injured. As I was already frustrated with my life, this incident added to my worries. I couldn’t walk for two straight years, and I was depressed and suicidal.

While other boys of my age would go out and enjoy their best life, I was sitting on my bed with no movement. As there was no other activity, I just used to eat all day. Food was what used to make me happy. But it started showing its results soon.

I gained weight like anything, and I became obese to the extent that sitting on a chair in itself became a huge task. My weight was 42 kgs back in school, but now I was 68, which is too much for a dwarf.

This was when I decided to work on my weight. I approached a local gym, but they refused to enrol me because they didn’t want to take risks due to my physical complications.

Weight Loss Journey

I then decided to do it myself. With the help of the internet, I switched on to a calorie deficit diet. I used to lift plastic bottles filled with water and use them as dumbbells and walk as much as possible.

The results started to show. I lost four kilos in a month, but nobody could notice it. I did not stop, worked harder and lost more than 8 kilos and then 14 kgs. My clothes started to feel loose. After a year, I eventually lost 29 kgs. My shirt size was reduced from XXXL to small.

Apart from my physical complications, I was also struggling with my career. I appeared for the bank exam several times but failed to crack it several times by a small margin. I then attempted for a smaller post in the Union Bank of India and eventually cleared it.

While I was earning a decent living, there also came a time when my parents wanted me to get married. But I was scared of the fact that ‘How I would be able to take the responsibility of someone else when I can’t take care of myself properly?’ My friend insisted I download an app, and I thought I to give it a shot.

Marital Life

I met Payal there, who is suffering from dwarfism too. We became good friends. She was the one with whom I could share my life’s problems and struggles. At one point, I used to be very reluctant, fearing if I could ever do justice to my marriage. But now, after one year into our marriage, I must say life has been amazing with her. We fall more and more for each other with every passing day. We have outings go on long holidays, without caring about the world.

My wife and I have an Instagram page with more than 126,000 followers. We make videos to inspire people like us to be confident and help overcome their fears. We have become a source of inspiration for many people who suffer from dwarfism, which makes me feel so overwhelmed.

Inclusiveness is what we need in our society. For example, if people find us amusing and want to click a picture, make sure you don’t hurt our feelings. Come, talk to us, follow us if you are interested in our life. We feel happy when people meet and greet us with love and care; that’s all we need.

If you too have an inspiring story to tell the world, send us your story at mystory@thelogicalindian.com