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A 28-year-old woman who stands just 84cm tall says she’s lost all hope of getting married as people mistake her for a toddler.
Santosh Kumari is almost 30 – but she’s the same height as a four-year-old.
She has tiny limbs and a wobbly walk which means she’s often mistaken for a preschooler.
But despite her pint-size frame Santosh lives an active life, performing every task on her own.
She makes her living as a tailor and is known for creating beautiful dresses for women and children in the village where she lives in India.
Most villagers adore her but Santosh explains that despite all the love and attention she gets, she feels left out and misses having a companion in her life.
“Everyone loves me in the village. I don’t have to face criticism. I enjoy all the attention but I don’t have many friends.
“Most of the women in the village who are my age are either married or about to get married, but I know I can never experience that happiness.
“I’m too short and no one wants to marry me.”
Born to Ram Swaroop Meena (51) and Dwarka Bai (46) from Shahopur village in Madhya Pradesh in central India, Santosh suffers from an extreme case of dwarfism.
She was born a healthy child and grew normally until the age of three. But her family said she suddenly stopped growing once she started walking.
“Santosh was like any other child. She was healthy and grew normally but when she started walking her growth stopped.
“For the first few years we thought she had slow growth and didn’t worry much because she was playing and eating properly.
“After she turned ten, we started worrying because she hadn’t grown even 3cm.
Ram and Dwarka consulted a lot of local doctors but they recommended they take her to hospitals in the city for treatment. But they had no money.
“Big doctors will ask for a lot of money that we can’t afford,” added Mahavir who makes just £3 (R43) a day and must feed a family of six.
As time passed and after receiving no treatment Santosh accepted her condition.
Her only worry is to live a healthy life.
“I’ve accepted my fate. I understand I can’t grow tall or get married.
“All I want is to continue living happily and hone my sewing skills so I can one day open a shop. At the moment I sew at home but I want to start a shop someday.”
Source: Magazine Features
