It’s been more than 20 years since Prerana was first introduced to Bharatanatyam. In May this year, she reached a high note in her career when on her 30th birthday, the gifted danseuse presented the programme ‘Sounds of Silence’ at the Balgandharva Rang Mandir in Pune drawing much applause for her rendition of Purandaradasa’s Jagadoddharana and Jayadeva’s Dashavatara. A book titled Prerana: Sounds of Silence released by her mother Ujjwala Sahane on the occasion seemed a befitting tribute. Also, this year Prerana became a professional Bharatanatyam soloist.
The beginning was flawed but the conviction to win against all odds saw her through. Prerana was just six months old when a paralytic attack robbed her of the powers of speech and hearing, besides losing mobility in the limbs. “We were at our wit’s end, dumbstruck at the calamity that had befallen us. Thankfully, by administering ayurvedic medicines, Prerana was able to walk,” her mother says.
Dance would set right the discordant note in Prerana’s life, dishing up passion for a lifetime. In 1994, noticing her daughter swaying in perfect rhythm to songs aired on TV, Ujjwala landed at the doorstep of Shumita Mahajan, an accomplished Bharatanatyam dancer and teacher, who was running a dance institute ‘Sadhana Nrityalaya’.
A reluctant Shumita took on the nine-year-old girl with “zero expectation”, humouring her for the most part while the guru and her shishya communicated with “nods and smiles”.
It was not until one unhappy incident transpired that Prerana finally got her guru’s attention. “Some of my students who were to perform at a show became negligent when it came to practising the steps. I got so angry that I chastised them thoroughly which is when Prerana told me that she had something to show me and proceeded to perform those very steps. I was stumped by her precision and perfection. From then on, I decided to be ambitious for Prerana,” says Shumita of her “miracle child”.
“I was lucky that she came to me,” says the guru whose dance school is celebrating its silver jubilee this year.
Shumita then began to tailor her teaching methods such that it would benefit her ward. “Prerana’s technique was god-gifted with a matching sense of rhythm but the vacuum created by the hearing loss was a challenge. There were some connectivity issues which had to be resolved,” says Shumita. Ambition for Prerana burned brightly within the guru and she decided to test the waters.
In 2002, a professional team of dancers along with Shumita were to perform in Kolkata. The guru decided to risk it and got on board her special pupil. Prerana justified the faith; at the end of the performance the audience gave her a standing ovation. We can dream big now, thought Shumita.
After four years of coaching by her guru, Prerana Sahane performed her arangetram in 2007 at the Tilak Smarak Mandir, Pune. Shumita did not want any kind of concession to be given to her ward.
“At her arangetram, she performed complex tala combinations of Mishra Alaripu besides the very authentic Rupamu Juchi Vernam in Todi Ragam with eight jathis. She also presented Maharaja Swati Tirunal’s Dhanashree Tillana. Her sensitive Abhinaya in Krishnanee Begane Baaro also received much critical acclaim,” recalls the guru with pride. In 2011, Prerana successfully completed the Madhyama Purna exams of the Akhil Bhartiya Gandharva Mahavidyalaya.
Prerana has since then given many public performances.
“At her home town in Sangamner (Maharashtra), she performed before a 2000-strong crowd,” chips in her mother, who feels that more and more organisations should come forward to promote artistes with physical disabilities. Guru Shumita wants her pupil’s talent to be recognised across India and even abroad.
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