Travel woes: 'Airport security humiliation makes me cry'

More than physical challenge, it’s people’s attitude that makes a challenged person feel let down, said actor Sudha Chandran who uses a prosthetic foot.

Two days after DNA reported about  how a South Mumbai-based physically challenged man took the airport security agency to task for humiliating him at the Delhi airport, Chandran said she too has often suffered similar humiliation. The latest such instance was at the city airport last week.

Chandran shot to fame in 1986 with the release of the film Nache Mayuri, which chronicled her real life tale of how she triumphed over her physical challenge.

DNA’s report was about a jeweller, Samir Zaveri, who had through persistent follow-ups got the Central Right To Information commission to order the airport security agency to provide guideline details of treatment to physically challenged passengers at the airport. The security force had earlier refused to provide the information to Zaveri.

“The security staff asked me to disrobe to remove my artificial limb, despite my producing a medical certificate of my challenge,” Chandran, who was returning from Thiruvananthapuram, told DNA. “The matter was resolved after I strongly objected, forcing senior airport officials to intervene.

“Such instances bring me to tears...” said Chandran.
What was worse, said Chandran, was that a security officer who later met her and asked why she had not informed them that “you were the actress Sudha Chandran”.

The point Chandran was making was that if an actor can be subjected to such humiliation, it should be worse for other passengers.

A real-life heroine
Sudha Chandran, originally a Bharatnatyam dancer, shot to fame with the film, Nache Mayuri, in 1986. The film, a remake of a Telugu movie, chronicled her life about how the young dancer had met with an accident but did not quit dancing and continued with despite having lost a limb. Chandran uses a prosthetic, the Jaipur foot.