I am Ramya Raghavan, mother of two lovely angels. My elder daughter is 7 years old and younger one is 9 months.

My elder one is R. M. Anantya. She is very precious to us not because of being our first baby girl but because she was born on the auspicious day of Akshaya Thrithiya. She is studying in Velammal vidhyashram school in Ambattur.

She showed interest in learning dance since an early age. Anantya joined Bharatanatyam classes when she was 5 years and made her first stage show in a small temple nearby. We knew that this was just a beginning. She started getting more chances to perform and she loved it. Then she got chance to do a program in Chidambaram Thillai Natarajar temple for Marghazhi Utsav. It was purely a blessing to her. Thus her dance career took off to super heights. Every alternate week she would be having a program and as a parent we encouraged her and enjoyed her performances.

Then some hurdles came her way. I conceived and my health was not good. Then her father met with an accident and had to be in bed for more than 3months. As parents we never wanted her to stop dancing but we were helpless.

One day her guru. Smt. Krishna Priya asked us to do Salangai Poojai. It marks an important landmark in dance education and is considered a Indian classical dance (Bharatanatyam) pre-graduation event. Only after doing that she could wear the salangai in her feet. But we were not ready mentally and financially. We were also not so confident that she can perform. But her guru motivated us and finally we said OK. By God’s grace the function was planned on 29th of December in Chidambaram Thillai Natarajar temple.

Anantya started practicing for the function. A week was left to go and suddenly she got high temperature and doctors advised to admit her in a hospital as it might be dengue. We were very worried. Her blood test was done and she had only little fever so we came back home. But she was not able to even sit.  Then we informed her guru that we will have to postpone the event to some other day. But my daughter wanted it, so we could not cancel the function. We took her to the event. We went there with a heavy heart as there was no improvement in her health. All the way she was drowsy and didn’t eat anything.

In the temple in morning we did poojai and her guru tied Salangai. Anantya was not aware of anything what happened because she was sleeping throughout on my brother’s shoulders. Around 3pm make up started and she was ready for the program by 6pm. When she was about to perform her first dance the temperature was 102 degrees. I was literally in tears. Her father was also in bed as he had  food poisoning. Our four months old second daughter was also crying. I gave Anantya medicine for fever and she performed her first dance that day. I had told her, if she coudn’t dance, we will stop in the first dance itself. But Anantya and her guru wanted to continue the program as it was live around the world. She was not able to dance but she never stopped and gave her best to the performance. She was praised by all of our friends and family.

After the performance we all returned to Chennai. She got well. But again in ten days she got fever and was admitted in hospital for a week. Doctors said she is weak and need to rest for a month to gain back her immunity. That was when the chance to participate in a program by Guiness Book of Record came. We had to enroll our daughter because of her enthusiasm. Given her health she had taken a break from dance for a month. I had very less hope that she will get selected in the program but I supported her. It was a 28 minutes program but would get only 4 minutes. But our daughter picked up very fast and she got selected.

We happily attended the Guinness Record program for the largest dance with participants performing Bharatnatyam. More than 5000 dancers participated and out of it only 4525 were selected in the spot and danced. My daughter was one of them and she is a proud Guinness Book of Records holder proving where there is a will there is a way. She is now learning dance in Viswa Shikara Natyalaya in Ambattur.

I can just say we should learn from our children. They are the best teachers.