Jay Chhaniyara

A person is never a handicapped. Handicapped is the society who calls a person a handicapped.

Some are born with physical disability, widely known as handicapped. But rare are some diamonds who overcome the same with their natural talent. Jay Chhaniyara is such a jewel kid who suffers from Celebral Palsy – (a kind of disorder caused by brain damaged occuring at or before birth and marked with Muscual impairment) and has undergone 11 surgeries of his both legs, right hand and the right eye at that phase of life where kids are without any burden of life and when life means enjoyment, virtuousness, delight and innocence.

But his natural talent of being a Mimicry Artist has brought great fame and relief in his life.

In the short period of 10 years of Jay’s laughter journey, he performed more than 1600 stage shows, and performed in more than 20-25 T.V. channels by millions and billions of fan’s blessings all over the world.

Jay is quite an enthusiastic and very vital kid. We had the opportunity to feel his lively presence for a while. Watch the below videos of humorous and meaningful chit chat we had with him.

INTERVIEW VIDEOS

Jay Chhaniyara Part 1

Jay Chhaniyara Part 2

Jay Chhaniyara Part 3

Interview Excerpt

Q.: Welcome to Speakbindas, Jay. Tell us how old are you? And since when you are performing mimicry shows on stage?

• Thank you. My heartily Namaskar to all viewers of Speakbindas. Well, I am 14 years old and since last 6 years I am giving stage performance for mimicry shows.

Q.: Before I ask you next question, I personally request you to tell your favorite joke to Speakbindas’ viewers.

• (Jay tells a joke about a Press Owner who is sinking in water and saved by a Shayri writer….. very funny.)

Q.: In your early days of displaying your talent you were not versed with Hindi language, and you participated in a competition called “Koi Bhi Aao.. Hansa Ke Dikhao” which was organized by Marshals in Mumbai. Not only you participated in this competition, but came out successfully with first position among 700-800 participants. How did all this happen?

• Actually, I wasn’t aware that such kinds of competitions are organized. I had been to Mumbai for some of my personal work and I stayed there almost for three years, particularly for various treatments and operations on my legs and hands. Person with whom I was staying told me about this competition “Koi Bhi Aao.. Hansa Ke Dikhao”, a Marshal Comedy Award competition. He encouraged me saying, he would fill up the form for me in this competition.

• Later on the day of audition I came to know that the competition is in Hindi. And I felt trapped! What to do now? I worked hard day and night for 24 hours. I called up Ravibhai (Jay’s elder brother), who helped me translating Gujarati jokes into Hindi. And interestingly, not any judges but public itself awarded me with clapping the “Marshals Comedy Award.”

Q.: After winning this competition, which other competitions you participated in?

• After I won this competition, Navjotsingh Sidhu and Shekhar Suman who were the hosts of Great Indian Laughter Challenge noticed me. They called me up from Mumbai (I was in Rajkot then), inviting me for the audition at Mumbai. At that time I was physically so weak that I couldn’t even sit comfortably. And now after going under 11 operations, I can at least seat. So Ravibhai and my father told them that it won’t be possible to bring me at Mumbai for audition. And surprisingly, just for me only they organized the audition in Rajkot where the entire team of Star One came to Rajkot. I got selected on the first go itself.

Jay Chhaniyara with Devang Vibhakar

Q.: You have also won many awards around 40 in number for your talent such as Marshal’s Comedy Award, Pogo Amazing Kids Award. How do you feel on receiving such honor in form of awards?

• Let me first shed some light on my family background. My father is a Government servant. He is a typist, sits on fourth floor of the building so he is an upper class officer!! Hence his salary too is high!! So when I win any award, I feel that at least this month would go easy!!

• But jokes apart, when I am holding an award, I look at myself and think that how many people in the world who are physically strong would receive such an honor? Where as, I have to ask for the support of Ravibhai and father if I want to go from one room to another. So on receiving such an award, I feel that despite being handicapped, I am racing ahead of physically well people. I feel so happy for this and I pray to my God Shri Sai Baba to keep showering such happiness on me forever.

Q.: It is a dream of every Indian kid who plays cricket to meet Sachin Tendulkar, but not every kid’s dream is fulfilled where as yours got fulfilled in the year 2003. How was the experience of meeting him? What was the conversation all about?

• Like you are interviewing me now, I was interviewed by Star News in Mumbai. They asked me about my wish. I said that I want to meet Sachin Tendulkar once in my lifetime. They said that they will arrange the same! But it was to happen in a surprising manner.

• After few days they called up my father asking where I am. I was in Mumbai those days. They called me up telling to be ready within half an hour as they were sending a car for my pick up and I was told it would take me to Hotel Taj. From this sudden call, I thought that it would be an interview or some video shooting of me.

• I reached to Hotel Taj. Officials of Star News were sitting there. They told me that some special guest has come to meet me today. I wondered who would he/she be? While I was talking with them, I looked at the other side and I saw Sachin Tendulkar walking towards me! I felt extreme happiness seeing him so closely, and for few moments I was speechless!! I didn’t know what to speak!

• But soon, I controlled my emotions and started my conversation saying “Sir, when you get out in the game of Cricket, I get upset and start crying.” He told me “I also cry after reaching in the pavilion.”

• Then I shard couple of jokes with him. (Jay shares two exclusive jokes here, must watch in the video.)

Q.: Which other celebrities you have met?

• I have met many other celebrities but if I say about bollywood celebrities then I met Sunil Shetty, Govinda, Aamir Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Shahrukh Khan and many others.

Q.: Apart from performing mimicry and jokes, you are also good at singing, particularly you sing in voice of the legendary singer Mohammad Rafi. May I request you to sing few lines of your any favorite song which was sung by him?

• Sure, sure. (Jay sings the song “Shirdi Wale, Sai Baba, aaya hai tere dar pe sawali. Watch the video above.)

Q.:  Who else are in your family? And what’s their contribution towards you?

• In my family, I have father, just one father! Now you would understand, I can not afford to have more than one father in such a dearness (high prices) time! I have one mother! And Ravibhai, my elder brother.

• My mother fixes my programs. And talks on phone for half an hour on a wrong number! My father helps me in editing the script of my program which I develop myself. He shares his suggestions on how to make a joke more humorous etc. Ravibhai helps me in preparing the entire script for a program. So to say, my entire family has become a kind of a humorist like me!!

Q.: Not every handicapped child is lucky enough to have a supporting family like yours. Are you doing something for them?

• Yes, for such handicapped kids, I am running ‘Jay Chhaniyara Foundation Trust’. 50% of my program’s income goes to this trust. From the fund, I provide cruch, wheelchair and expenses for operations to handicapped children like me.

Q.: Jay, any special message you would like to give to those handicapped children who have lost their faith in life?

• Sir, a person is never a handicapped. Handicapped is the society who calls a person a handicapped or disabled. Kids like me who are physically handicapped are bestowed by God with some other talent with which they can do many things in life. I would like to tell such kinds not to get depressed at all in life. I would like to sing four lines for handicapped kids like me:

Khudas se mat mango dosto,

Khud hi ko itna buland karo,

Khud hi mein ek suraj ho tum,

Andhero se kabhi mat daro,

Is duniya ke liye ho tum,

Sabse badi aashayein,

Jab tak ho yaha..

Haste hue jiyo aur haste hue maro.

Q.: Jay, shall we finish the interview with another of your favorite jokes?

• (Jay tells a joke on his cast Gurjar-Suthar. Watch/listen in the video above.)