This story is from April 9, 2015

They forget their disability when they perform

K Tansen lost his hands when he accidentally touched a live wire while playing under an electric tower. But today, he can play drums, keyboard and guitar using his wrists.
They forget their disability when they perform
CHENNAI: K Tansen lost his hands when he accidentally touched a live wire while playing under an electric tower. But today, he can play drums, keyboard and guitar using his wrists. Sudalai and Mariappan, brothers from Tirunelveli who suffer from stunted growth, have been performing various roles, forgetting their disability. Hunchbacked ‘Perazhagan’ Kangaraj says his ‘Baba Kalaikulu’ is a troupe of people who are born with disabilities.

“We don’t get huge perks, but we are happy. We overcome our disability through art,” said Kangaraj, who shot to fame after he immortalized the hunchbacked character that Suriya played in the Tamil movie “Perazhagan”.
Even though each one has a different role to play in the troupe, it’s the team spirit that’s behind their success. “Our audiences are mostly village people. So we choose a mix of songs, mimicry and mono acts in our show. We will also be playing various numbers in a short time, not exceeding ten minutes for each one,” said Kangaraj, who is also the manager of the troupe. The troupe also allows each artist to perform with other troupes if they wish to.
Tansen says he started from scratch after he lost his hands. The incident changed the life of the 11-year-old boy who had to discontinue his studies immediately. Sitting alone at home, he thought of reinventing his life. He soon started learning to play drums by tying two sticks to his wrists. “I used two sticks tied to my wrists to practise the drums. I failed in my initial attempts, but soon I learnt how to. I also learnt to play keyboard and guitar. Disability is a state of mind. One can overcome if one wants to,” said Tansen, who can even drive a two-wheeler and car with his wrists.
Sudalai and Mariappan come from a remote village in Tirunelveli, where they used to earn daily wages before they turned to art. Suffering from stunted growth, the brothers have one thing in common: height. “We were called ‘jokers’ in our village. People would laugh at us. It was embarrassing. We don’t face those problems today as we can perform with our troupe and earn,” said Sudalai, 32, the elder brother.
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