PUNE: Years ago when seven-year-old Prerana Sahane's mother saw her perfectly reenact a dance sequence she had seen on the television, her maternal instinct was to be concerned rather than bemused. For Prerana, who evidently loved to dance, was hearing-impaired.

But bent on pushing her child to lead a 'normal' life, Ujjwala approached Bharatnatyam dancer Shumita Mahajan, who saw the latent talent in Prerana and molded her into a performer.

Today, Prerana is a confident 30-year-old and the recipient of the 'Role Model' National Award for the Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, 2015. The award is given by the ministry of social justice and empowerment to mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

Not being able to hear the melody, 'sur' and 'taal' (notes and rhythm) - necessities to learn Indian classical dance - has not stopped her from perfecting her moves and giving the precise facial expressions on stage. She is now a full-time Bharatnatyam performer and takes part in an average 18 shows per year.

"Prerana has come a long way from being a hearing-impaired girl to being a Bharatnatyam performer. When people watch her solo performance on the stage, they are mesmerised. Even in a group performance, no one from the audience is able to make out that she has an impairment," says Mahajan.

One wonders then, how a person who cannot hear is able to pick up one of the most complex Indian classical dances. Mahajan says Prerana uses her sense of touch and feels vibrations. "I tap ghunghroos on her hand. Also, when I show her the taals and dhuns with my hands, she picks up the pattern very easily," says Mahajan.

She adds that Prerana is blessed with an amazing sense of rhythm and once she starts with the beats, she just goes on with the dance. "I would say even seasoned dancers sometimes miss a beat here or there, but I have never seen Prerana skip a beat," Mahajan goes on to add, with a sense of pride for her pupil.

The story of grit and determination is not only Prerana's, but also of her parents Ujjwala and Keshav. Having been ostracised for an inter-caste marriage, they were heartbroken when their six-month-old daughter suffered a paralytic attack. Their anguish was such that they even contemplated an extreme step like suicide.

But Ujjwala now says, "It is destiny. My sister handed me Helen Keller's book and when Prerana showed signs of being interested in dance, we met Shumitaji, who accepted her, worked hard with her and groomed her," says Ujjwala.

Prerana follows all norms of the dance just like any other performer. The only rule that is bent is where her guru sits - facing her in the pit - so that she can see her gestures to follow the beats.

Ujjwala and Mahajan say Prerana's skill has made her a social, confident and outgoing person, who values each thing that life gives her. She also excels in her hobby of fine arts and has created various paintings.

In her not-so-clear voice, Prerana, too, pitches in eagerly. She explains how she worked hard to perform at her Arangetram, the performance of a classical artiste which signifies a public graduation in the art form. She also credits her husband, Swapnil Dixit, as being her pillar of support.

Mahajan, who has been Prerana's guru for 23 years, has bigger plans for her going forward and wishes to take her pupil to foreign shores for better exposure.

Prerana uses her sense of touch and feels vibrations. I tap ghunghroos on her hand. Also, when I show her the taals and dhuns with my hands, she picks up the pattern very easily. She is blessed with an amazing sense of rhythm and once she starts with the beats, she just goes on with the dance.

