Nine out of 11 members of family are dwarfs due to rare genetic condition causing short limbs

Nine out of 11 members of family are dwarfs due to rare genetic condition causing short limbs

Mangalore Today News Network

 Hyderabad, Jan 31, 2017: A rare genetic condition has made nine of the 11 members of a family dwarfs .

 

Ram Raj Chauhan’s clan once consisted of 21 people - 18 of whom suffered from a genetic condition called Achondroplasia which causes short limbed dwarfism.

Achondroplasia is the most common form of disproportionate dwarfism, and is characterised by a normal sized torso and short limbs.

 

Ram Raj, 52, originally had seven sisters and four brothers, with eight of the 11 siblings suffering from the condition.

But some of them have passed away, including his elder brother, Prithvi Raj.

Ram Raj now lives with ten of his family members in the Old City in Hyderabad, India.

 

Nine of them have the condition, making them the largest dwarf family in the city.

Their condition attracts a lot of attention, much of it unwanted.

Curious looks, verbal jibes and taunts are a common occurrence when the family steps out.

Ram Raj explained: "If we go out, people crowd around us and ask us strange questions like, ’Why are you so short?’, ’Where are you from?’. Everyone teases us."

There are health issues as well.

Due to the shortness of their legs, walking can become a problem.

Ram Raj explained: "After a certain age, the legs become weak. I have seen my grand father and my father face this, but they still managed to walk properly.

"But I have difficulty in walking and my younger brother can’t walk without help. Same with two of my sisters."

Ram Raj works as a ’Marriage Welcomer’, where he dresses up and welcomes guests to weddings, but finding employment has proved challenging for the family.

He said: "No-one was willing to give me a job. I have faced a lot of problems because people look at me and say, ’How will you manage?’