JYOTI: THE TWO-FOOT TEENAGER

JYOTI AMGE FROM INDIA IS
THE TINIEST GIRL IN THE WORLD

(The News Chronicle) - Jyoti only weighs 5.25 kgs and she is 1 foot, 11 inches tall ... so she is dubbed the “world’s tiniest girl.” Jyoti was born on December 16, 1993 in India. She is turning 17 this year, but she still looks smaller than her neighbor’s baby. Doctors believe Jyoti is a pituitary dwarf but have never been able to pinpoint her condition. Such dwarfism is caused when the body fails to produce enough growth hormone. Specialists have told her she will remain the same size for the rest of her life. “When I was three I realised that I was different to the rest of the kids,” she said. “I thought that everyone was bigger and I should get bigger too.” Despite her size she insists on living as normal a life as possible in her home town of Nagpur in India. “When I first went to school everyone was so big I used to get scared but I'm okay now, I like it. I have a different desk and chair that were made for me ... I'm a normal student.”

Jyoti attends high school with her classmates, who she says don't treat her any differently. She has her own mini grey uniform and school bag and even a tiny desk, made especially for her. Although she looks so much different from other normal people, Jyoti appears to be not so bothered with her unique condition. Her body is tiny but her dreams are as big as those of her friends. Weighing 12lb - only 9lb more than her weight at birth, Jyoti dreams of becoming an actress. She is also like any other teenage girl. “I have a huge collection of dresses. I like to shop for more. Everyone in my family gets things for me ... I love make-up and like dressing up like beautiful models. I would like to be an actress when I grow up. My dream is to do films, she explains.”

Jyoti has already had a taste of fame in a pop video for Indian star Mika Singh. In an interview with the Sunday Mirror, she said, “I am proud of being the smallest girl. I love all the attention I get. I'm not scared of being small, and I don't regret being small.” She added, “I am sure there are many people in this world who are dwarfs like me. I'm just the same as other people. I eat like you, dream like you. I don't feel any different.” Kishanji Amge, her father, said, “I can’t separate myself from her even for a single day. I love her very much. She makes me proud. Lots of gurus come to see and bless her. They pray for her happiness and long life.” Jyoti is to be featured in Channel 4's Bodyshock series, which goes out 2day.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Our situations in this world are liable to change like fogs and mists. ... This external body will be changed and also our present situations. But we have got a transcendental frame. As soon as we will learn that the transcendental frame is working in us, this mortal coil will cease to trouble. ... The soul is wrapped by the gross and subtle material bodies. They are meant for the use of the soul for a certain period. ... But the soul is the real entity. ... The material things will change. This change sometimes gives us facilities and sometimes hinders our progress. But the soul does not change and cannot be destroyed.

Śrīla Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thākura Prabhupāda :
“The Correct Angle of Vision”
Conversation with Major Rana N. J. Bahadur
Originally published in “The Harmonist” (Vol. XXXI, No.21 - 1935)