KOCHI: There is something special about this 14-year-old. Divya Sankar, a class VIII student of SNHSS High School Pullamkulam, North Paravoor, has Down's Syndrome but the dancer in her has trumped disabilities to achieve glory.
Divya, recently, performed a marathon Bharatnatyam recital for more than two hours at Paravur Dr Ambedkar Park."She was set to perform for two hours only. But the performance went beyond the stipulated time," said Sankaranarayanan Iyer, Divya's father.
He said, "She was not tired and was actually exuberant. Dance is her life. Even though we, as parents, were apprehensive about whether she will be able to perform of so long, Divya was all gung-ho about it. She reassured us that she is game for the performance."
According to Sankaranarayanan, Divya was helped a lot by her brother Sarath S. "He believed in her and got us convinced about not giving up on her. He helped her in learning to talk and also finding the talented dancer in her," he said. Her brother wanted everyone to consider her like a normal kid and even persuaded his parents to get her admitted to a normal school.
"Thanks to his perseverance, she was admitted to a normal school where a special teacher took care of her academic needs. When she was little, Divya couldn't talk. But after seven years, she not only talks but also has taken up singing," said her father. According to him, these special needs kids have at least one talent hidden in them. "It is important to identify the talent and help them polish it. Divya was lucky in getting good teachers both at her school and at the dance academy," he said.
Divya has been studying dance for the past six years. "She started from the age of eight. She could pick up all the mudras and is credited with helping the normal kids in the academy learn the nuances of dance," said her teacher Seema Kannan of Amrithavani Nrithakala Kshetram at North Paravur. Seema said, "The kid never gets tired when it comes to dancing. When we asked her whether she wants to perform on stage, Divya said she would like to dance for a very long time. I said ok let's go in for two hours. But, she was like why not more than that."
Divya did her arangettam at the age of nine and has performed on more than 20 stages. "My student is also very interested in cinematic dance and choreography. She is well versed in Bharatnatyam, Kuchipudi and Mohiniyattam. She wants to keep learning more," said the teacher.
According to her father, Divya is an example of how much these kids can achieve provided they get the right training. "Parents need to be patient and help their kids afflicted by Down's Syndrome to develop that one talent he or she is bestowed with by the creator," he said.
Meanwhile, Divya said, "Dancing is my passion and I want to keep learning it. I love everything about it. It gives me great joy. I also love songs and sing sometimes."