“When she was three years old, we wondered why she was not growing taller, so we took her to the hospital,” said Kishanji Amge, the girl’s father. “After running many tests, the doctors said she won’t grow any taller. I asked why not. They said it’s because she has a hormone deficiency, and that’s why she will remain short.”

Jyoti Amge

Jyoti insists on living as normal a life as possible in her hometown of Nagpur in central India. However, her bones are extra delicate, and fractures to both her legs have so far failed to heal, causing serious problems.

The biggest difficulty, according to Jyoti’s mother Ranjana, is that her daughter can’t walk properly.

“I have to carry her in my arms like a child when we go out. We have to be with her at all times, we can’t leave her alone anywhere,” she said.

Jyoti Amge and her classmates

“She is our friend, so no one thinks of her short height,” said Shabana Ansari, a classmate of the smallest girl. “She talks with us, plays with us and laughs also. So no one can say that she is smaller than us. For us, she is the same size as us.”

As for her future, it’s wide open. Most people with this form of dwarfism have normal intelligence and lifespan, and Jyoti has ambition that's well-above average.

“Because of my height, I’ve become famous and I want to become even more famous,” she said. “I want to become an actress. I like acting.”

In many ways, Jyoti is just like any other Indian teenager. She may be the world’s shortest girl, but that’s not stopping her from dreaming big.