‘Sri Lankan Del Boy’ realises his passion for acting
Inspired by Only Fools and Horses, Anustan Rajasagaran has ambitions to perform on the stage.
Diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy, Anustan has hearing and sight impairments. He came to College to study on the Supported Internship Programme (a partnership project between The Manchester College, Central Manchester Foundation Trust and Pure Innovations) and complete his Level 1 City and Guilds in Employability Skills.
Any first day nerves soon disappeared as Anustan settled in and started working with his job coach Pete Heywood. We caught up with them both to find out a bit more.
Pete supports Anustan through combined classroom-based learning and practical work-experience activities. Focussing on his passion for media and performance, Pete has created a new role for Anustan on the programme as Social Media Champion. Naturally, Anustan’s role is a perfect match, he’s developing his skills in interviewing and researching while publishing reports and posting on the supported internship Twitter page. Taking inspiration from professional journalists, he conducts regular face-to-face interviews with his fellow interns and programme leaders.
The College changes people for the good and gives you lots of opportunities’ Anustan said.
Anustan has taken part in many projects and in particular, the Living Book project – a project that brings communities together through literacy and critical thinking. Inspired by his favourite sitcom Only Fools and Horses, Anustan wrote and shared his story ‘The Sri Lankan Del Boy’ – an autobiographical tale charting his own journey from Sri Lanka to Didsbury.
When asked what his favourite part of studying at College was, Anustan said, ‘Coming to College has really helped me gain independence. I’ve got a routine which has helped me to feel a lot calmer and I’ve made some great friends. My Support Worker Pete is great, he’s got a lot of experience in marketing and sales and has given me lots of advice.’
Anustan’s passion for acting shone throughout his interview as he quoted lines from Shakespeare and his favourite Only Fools and Horses scenes. His long-term goal is to move into an apartment of his own and become a performer. He’s already visited all of the Manchester theatres to watch a range of shows and is talking to Pete about becoming an extra on TV.
