You Don't Need Feet To Dance

Sudha Chandran, a classical dancer from India, was cut off in the prime of her career - quite literally - when her right leg had to be amputated after a car accident. Though the incident brought her bright career to a halt, she didn't give up.

In the painful months that followed, she met a doctor who developed an artificial limb made from vulcanized rubber filled with sponge. So intense was her desire that she decided to go back to dancing after she had been fitted with an artificial leg.

Sudha knew that she believed in herself and could fulfill her dream, she began her courageous journey back to the world of dancing - learning to balance, bend, stretch, walk, turn, twist, twirl and finally dance. After every public recital, she would ask her Dad about her performance. "You still have a long way to go" was the answer she use to get in return.

In January 1984, Sudha made a historic comeback by giving a public recital in Bombay. She performed in such a marvelous manner that it moved everyone to tears while catapulting her to the number one position again. That evening when she asked the usual question her dad, he didn't say anything. He just touched her feet as a tribute to a great artiste.

Sudha's comeback was such heart-warming that a film producer was inspired to turn it into the movie box office hit Mayuri.

When someone asked Sudha how she had managed to dance again, she said quite simply, "YOU DON'T NEED FEET TO DANCE."