Bullied For Dwarfism, This Indore Man Transformed Himself To Be Called Desi Tyrion Lannister

For Game of Thrones fans (and George R R Martin himself), Tyrion is a much loved character. The youngest Lannister may be a dwarf, but he is also witty and the self-proclaimed ‘God of tits and wine’, which makes him the lovable underdog you want to root for.

And that’s a very normal human tendency, isn’t it? Rooting for the underdog? Watching them transform the worst hand of cards ever dealt into a winning hand, reinstates your faith that you can overcome anything if you just believe in yourself.

Well, if you’re amongst those who love a good transformation story, this one will definitely tug at your heartstrings.

Meet Kapil Bajaj, a twenty-something-year-old from Indore, who could easily pass off as Tyrion Lannister’s twin.

He isn’t offended by this moniker; in fact he likes it. At 3 feet, 8 inches, Kapil suffers from a condition commonly known as dwarfism. But that’s not the end of his problems.

Kapil was born with Arthrogryposis, a condition due to which some of his joints are not as flexible as a regular person’s and may even be stuck in one position. The muscles around these joints are thin, weak, stiff or missing.

Another side-effect of his condition is that he doesn’t have knee caps (patella) because of which he cannot even fold his legs. Most of his joints are dislocated, including his hip.

If you thought this was too horrible a condition to have, wait for it. There’s more. He even has scoliosis, which causes severe back pain. A pinching of his spinal nerves causes a tingling sensation in his legs.

In a literal series of unfortunate events, he fractured his left knee during his 10th standard board exams!

He somehow managed to appear for the exams, though sitting for all those hours was excruciatingly painful for him. At a time when children are dreaming about their impending college life, Kapil was bed-ridden and suffering.

He weighed 68 kilos which, when you think of it, cannot be considered as overweight. However, because of his dwarfism, this weight was his worst enemy of all.

On a cousin’s insistence, Kapil decided to see a physiotherapist, and was finally able to walk again.

But the excess weight was still making things worse for him. His confidence was on an all-time low, and he despised leaving his house because of the way he looked.

When he did step out, kids would tease him and call him names.

And that’s when Kapil decided, he had had enough. There wasn’t much he could do about his height. But his weight… now that was a different ball game entirely.

With full determination and dedication, Kapil dove headfirst into improving his fitness.

This phase of his life too wasn’t without a bit of struggle first. While he went on a healthy diet of fruits and vegetables, he was denied access to a gym for working out!

Then what? He went ahead and began working out at home and lost 4 kilos. Now naturally, this didn’t make a noticeable difference in his appearance and it left him disheartened.

But Kapil had given up enough times to see that it just made things worse. This time, he wanted to see where persistence and perseverance got him. And boy, it got him exactly where he wanted to be!

Kapil’s condition limited his workout, which meant he had to watch what he ate. He limited his intake to about 600-800 calories a day, worked out as much as his body allowed him to and ended up losing 29 kilos!

What’s more, Kapil can even drive a car now! After making a few modifications to the vehicle and lots of convincing arguments to his parents, Kapil was able to accomplish this feat!

He hated being dependent on others for mobility. It took a lot of research and tears on Kapil’s part but when he finally sat in the driver’s seat, it took him only a few minutes to get adjusted to all the modifications.

And now, he’s driven around 7500 kms already!

For anyone who’s down in the doldrums because life has been unfair to them, Kapil’s story can be the jolt they need to turn their life around.

Motivational quotes notwithstanding, the power of belief and perseverance cannot be doubted. You want the fruit? Put in the labour. Your dream is out there, ripe for the picking. You just need to reach out and grab it!

In Kapil’s own words,

“If I Can, you too can. Their is no excuse for anything, If you want something badly, get off your arse, work hard for it, and achieve it.”

You’re truly an inspiration, Kapil! Your twin, Tyrion, would be proud!