Award Winning Actor, Author And Radio Jockey, The Story Of Den Who Didn't Let Disabilities Come In His Way
Updated: March 21, 2022 17:49 IST
41-year-old Den is an inspiration for people with disabilities as he went from being nonverbal for the first 25 years of his life to hosting radio shows and receiving multiple awards.
Sayomdeb Mukherjee popularly known as Den was born into a joint family in Kolkata in November 1980. Den was apparently born with a rare genetic disorder, Dopamine-Responsive Dystonia, as a result of which he was nonverbal till the age of 25.
The disorder never stopped Den from learning and gaining knowledge in all spheres of life. The communication between Den and his family was beyond the scope of regular verbal communication. A blink of an eye would mean 'yes' and a particular sound would mean 'no'.
Den went on to work at Indian Institute of Cerebral Palsy (IICP) in Kolkata for their media devision after his schooling. While working at IICP, Den met Joydeep Banerjee, Station Programming Head of 91.9 Friends FM in Kolkata who helped him get a job opportunity at the radio station.
Den went on to host a radio show named 'Haal Chhero Nah Bondhu' (Never Give Up - Dear Friend) for five years and did 822 episodes. He was felicitated by Radio Excellence Award and Best Bengali Radio Jockey in 2014.
From 2015-2018, Den worked as a theatre artist and later moved back to IICP. In between, he worked in a film "One Little Finger - Ability In Disability" which was released in the US in 2019 and worldwide on November 16, 2020.
Den played the lead role of an RJ in the film and was awarded the "Best Actor Award" at Cincinnati Film Festival on September 5, 2019.
Den believes that a focus on inclusion and a change in the outlook of people towards disability is important to bring them into the social sphere of society.
