GIRL WITH DOWN SYNDROME BECOMES CHAMPION BHARATHANATYAM DANCER
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| Dhanya, daughter of Vijayan Payyakkil and Geetha, Kottuli, Kozhikode |
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Becoming champion Bharathanatyam dancer twice in school level would itself call for hardwork and talent even for a normal girl. But when the champion happens to be someone suffering from Down syndrome, the achievement is all the more sweet.
15-year-old Dhanya, daughter of Vijayan Payyakkil and Geetha, Kottuli, Kozhikode, has won the first prize by competing with normal girls.
As a child with Down Syndrome, the first challenge she had to overcome was the inability to speak and write. From the age of 4, she underwent speech therapy. Later she joined Government L.P.School, Kallayi where a teacher trained in speech therapy was available. By the time she reached 3rd standard, she was able to express herself somewhat satisfactorily. During examinations, the teacher would read out the questions, Dhanya would dictate the answers and someone would write them down.
Dhanya, who was fond of music and dance from an early age, started insisting at the age of 9 that she must learn dancing.
It was during this time that Kalamandalam Vinodini teacher started a Dance school. Dhanya’s father approached the teacher with skepticism. But the teacher took Dhanya as a disciple.
As months rolled by, the extreme patience shown by the teacher and the equally patient training imparted by the father started to bear fruit. During this time the father used to diligently teach the dance steps to his daughter at home after observing those steps at the Dance School.
From then onwards her progress was steady and encouraging. Despite the handicap of her body, her sense of rhythm improved. And with that her memory too improved. Her control over her limbs too increased.
Except for certain facial features one wouldn’t be able to notice that she is suffering from Down syndrome.
Courtesy: Vinu Abraham, Sree, Malayala Manorama, November 4, 2001.
Contributed by: Administrator
