DAY 50 -THE ONE LEGGED DANCER

The first time I saw this young man was a few years back when he was a teenager.

I was sitting in my balcony and looking at the skies trying to find some answers to some nagging questions. I was not in a good place in my life at that time.

There used to be a vacant plot near my house and the children used it as a playground.

And there was a group of boys playing cricket. Nothing unusual about it other than the boy at the crease was a one-legged batsman.

The boys were all inmates of APSA, an organization that rescues and cares for abandoned and abused children.

The boy and his friends were engrossed in their game. The boy was confident in his stride and his strokes. His friends made no allowance because he was missing a leg. They played hard, fought hard and laughed hard. And for the next one hour I just sat there watching these boys.

These little boys must have been through so much more in life than I did in my entire life, yet they laughed so easily and genuinely.

There was no self-pity. There was no loathing. There was just the process of living life.

It is the same boy in this image, now all grown up.

What was even more amazing now was that he's become a fabulous dancer. The boys have formed a dance troupe and perform at various corporate shows and for social causes.

They are all employed but make it a point to gather at the APSA home often, to practice their dance moves, lean on each other and learn from each other.

The lad's friends still don't make any allowance for him. The young man himself does not make any allowance for himself because he is one-legged.

He strides confidently as he did many years ago. He is one of their lead dancers. He moves through all the difficult dance steps as effortlessly as his two-legged friends in the group. They too expect him to make the cut and nothing less.

This picture was taken while they were rehearsing. I initially wanted to put up just one pic, but then it did not do justice to the boy. These images still don't do justice to his talent or his grit. You have to see him dance to believe it.

And I have had the privilege of watching him dance. Breathtaking!