Tiny Jyoti Amge is already a “mini” celebrity in her hometown of Nagpur, India. She has one very big claim to fame — she is thought to be the littlest girl in the world.
Standing just 58cm at 15 years old, petite Jyoti is smaller than the average one-year-old child. She has her own mini grey uniform and school bag and even a tiny desk. But she looks like a doll next to her teenage classmates.
Remarkably, brave Jyoti is constantly cheerful and she even has ambitions to sing and be an actress one day.
“I am proud of being the smallest girl. I love all the attention I get,” says a smiling Jyoti. “I’m not scared of being small, and I don’t regret being small.”
I am sure there are many people in this world who are dwarves like me. I’m just the same as other people. I eat like you, dream like you. I don’t feel any different.”
Jyoti is thought to have the condition achondroplasia, the most common form of dwarfism. But unlike other patients, who generally grow to more than 120cm tall, Jyoti has not even reached half that.
Jyoti’s mum, 45-year-old housewife Ranjana Amge, says no-one really knows why her little girl never grew up.
“Jyoti seemed quite normal to us when she was born,” says Ranjana. “We came to know about her disorder when she was five years old. We consulted a specialist and he said she will be this size all of her life.”
“Jyoti is small, yet cute, and we love her very much.”
People in the region of India where the family live flock to see the pretty teenager. She has already been registered in the Indian Book Of Records as the smallest girl in the country — but is also thought to be the tiniest in the world.
For the full story, see this week’s Woman’s Day (on sale April 14).
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