Express News Service By

HYDERABAD: At the Hindu Chaitanya Sabha organised by Bhagyanagar Ganesh Utsav Samithi here Sunday, a Muslim dancer stole the show with her Kuchipudi dance performance. Nadiya, a 25-year-old professional dancer was the star attraction, when she performed on Hindu epics like Mahishasura Mardhini and Nataraja Shiromani.

She said often her audience get surprised when they learnt about her religion. It is very rare to see Muslim artists learning Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam, but religion had never been an obstacle for this young dancer to pursue her passion. Talking to Express after her performance, Nadiya said, she started learning Kuchipudi since she was four.

With encouragement from parents, she continued practicing classical dance and performed at various events across the globe. Despite facing ban from the community, her father Khader Khan supported her passion for Indian dance. Interestingly, she is also married to a Hindu.

Her performances also brought her laurels including Ugadi Puraskaram from Andhra Pradesh government, Natya Shiromani and Natya Mayuri titles. “Appreciation from Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the best moment for me,’’ she said. She recently performed at an event in New Delhi where Modi was the chief guest.