Step up with a difference

Ability Unlimited recently performed for the first time in Kolkata at Nalban as part of the Golden Jubilee celebrations of Lions Club of North Calcutta.

The founder-director of Ability Unlimited,Guru Salahuddin Pasha has been working with PWD (people with disabilities) for the past 30 years. “All our performances have four major objectives. We seek to educate,to entertain,to motivate and to empower. Each and every one of my performers is exceptional. Not only do my performers get confidence in themselves,they can also educate the world around them about a dignified living for the disabled. None of them is disabled,according to me; they are all much more able than so called able-bodied individuals.”

Ability Unlimited enjoys pride of place in both the Guinness Records and Limca Book of Records as the only organisation in the world to perform Sufi dance on wheelchairs. But Guru Pasha brushes away these achievements. “I never knew about all these records and stuff. Someone called me one day and asked me to send my photo,which I did. The next thing I knew,I was a record-holder. Other people may get a kick out of breaking records; we just go about doing our own thing.”

The special place that Guru Pasha holds in the hearts of all the performers at Ability Unlimited is evident as they all name him as their idol in a single breath. Usman let us in on an interesting story about Guru Pasha’s childhood. “When Guruji was young,his mother told him to go to the Masjid and listen to the Quran. However,he also wanted to listen to the Bhagavad Gita,so he used to slip away to temples,sit in one corner and listen. Even when people protested,he did not give up,he simply used to disguise himself and continue going,” Usman said.

And for a society that still considers disability a liability,Vijay Kumar,another performer,has a simple message,“Don’t think they can’t do anything. They can do any and every thing,if only they believe in it.” And his message to the hundreds of physically challenged people in India who look up to him for inspiration? “You are special,remember. And special kids are only born to special parents.”

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