It would have been just another dance drama on Krishna but for one startling fact8212;the blue god on stage had both arms missing.
Written by Dipanitanath
3 min read
Whatsapp
Twitter
Facebook
Reddit
It would have been just another dance drama on Krishna but for one startling fact8212;the blue god on stage had both arms missing. As the audience reaction swung from initial shock to a gradual acceptance, lead actor Saurav Kuku Pathak knew he had proved his point. He8217;d provoked and inspired, because nobody who watched Krishna8212;Kal, Aaj Aur Kal would forget in a hurry how disability could not dim the power of divinity.
8220;It8217;s ditto for humans with a physical handicap,8221; says Pathak, before adding smugly, 8220;Look at me.8221; He lost his arms in a short circuit when he was three. 8220;If that was a punishment for being naughty, the lesson was quite lost on me. I remain an extremely restless person who wants to do it all. I8217;m a sucker for challenges,8221; he says. Maybe that explains how he ended up studying in a mainstream school and being part of the football team. 8220;Learning how to scribble with a pencil held between my toes was my first big challenge, learning how to balance myself while chasing a football was the next achievement,8221; he recalls. In between, he also dabbled in theatre, music, dance and taekwondo.
You’ve Read Your Free Stories For Now
Sign up and keep reading more stories that matter to you.
He wants every child, mainly the specially abled, to 8220;be as wild as possible8221;. 8220;Why should a child hide in the background just because he is special?8221; he asks. As a solution, Pathak has started an organisation called Saureena8212;an acronym for Serve, Aspire, Unite, Rise, Emerge, Evolve, Nurture, Awake8212;in April. It trains special children in creative arts such as classical dance, music and theatre. 8220;While schools hone a child8217;s IQ, there8217;s no substitute for the artistic training in developing his personality,8221; he says. Saureena is powered by the belief that modern youth 8220;are looking for the right platform to do good8221;. One of those attracted to Saureena is Pratyush Gupta of the Shri Ram Centre. 8220;The stage brings out the inner strength of every child, emboldening him for all future endeavours. For a special child, this becomes all the more important,8221; says Gupta, who directed Pathak and a cast of visually challenged children in Krishna.
Running Saureena as well as holding a full-time job ensures that Pathak is up all hours. He is currently trying to create a fund flow for his idealistic venture and the going is tough. 8220;It8217;s difficult,8221; he says. 8220;But so was writing with my feet or becoming a footballer.8221; This champ is going to fight till the end.
