When a Pakistani girl tweeted about her cousin’s struggles with stuttering, it hit a nerve in Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan who has been vocal about living with a speech impediment.
Twitter user Marium Zulfiqar, wrote about how a professor at a university in Islamabad had discriminated against her cousin for stuttering during a class presentation. She added that her cousin has not been able to come out of his room since that incident.
Zukfiqar, @MariumAwazar_, posted: “My cousin who has a stuttering issue, was giving a presentation in his class when the HOD/ lecturer told him ‘if u cannot speak properly maybe you shouldn’t study’ in front of the entire class. He hasn't come out of his room since this incident (1/2).”
Roshan, who has been vocal about dealing with a speech impediment, wrote: “Please tell your cousin that that professor and his judgement both are irrelevant. Stuttering should never hold him back from dreaming big! Tell him it’s not his fault and it’s not something he needs to be ashamed of. People who shame him are no better than brainless monkeys.”
According to Zulfiqar, the professor in question is the head of the Bachelor of Business Administration department in National University Of Modern Languages, Pakistan. She also claimed that after being discriminated against, her cousin went back to the professor the next day and said that he would repeat the course if his performance was unsatisfactory. He was then allegedly advised to stop his education by the professor.
After Roshan commented on the issue, social media users were quick to praise him for his support for the student.
Many replied to Roshan’s tweet, sharing their own experiences about people struggling with speech impairments.
Tweep @isuvashree posted: “Well said. Even My brother has a same problem. He is very shy. But he got 84 per cent on his board exam. Got full marks on his viva exams as well. So nothing is impossible. Speech and stammer is obviously a big part of his life…”
User @iAvranayak tweeted about how Roshan speaking about his battle with stuttering has inspired many: “Sir your journey to overcome stuttering has inspired millions.”
Roshan has shared how he struggled with stammering since childhood. Reportedly, the actor said he faced the issue till 2012 and even now, he practices every day to overcome the speech impediment.
