Hearing-impaired Bharatanatyam dancer Prerana Sahane-Dixit to start classes for deaf girls from Vijayadashami
Prerana Sahane-Dixit, who lost much of her hearing to a paralytic attack in infancy, has won over 35 awards and will teach Bharatanatyam to deaf girls.
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Some dreams need no sound, only determination. That is the story of Prerana Keshav Sahane-Dixit. She cannot hear music and the beat of the rhythm does not reach her ears, yet she captivates audiences, conveying rhythm through her feet and emotion through her expressions. Prerana is a Bharatanatyam dancer. At the age of six months she suffered a severe paralytic attack, which badly affected her hearing.
But Prerana did not treat the challenge as her limit. She made a distinct identity for herself through dance. Honoured with a national award of the Government of India, she is now set to start special dance classes for deaf girls. Called a Navadurga for strengthening the dreams of others through her own struggle, she is becoming an inspiration for many.
When Prerana was seven, her parents met Shumita Mahajan, guru at Sadhana Nrityalaya in Pune. She accepted the challenge of teaching Bharatanatyam to a child who could not hear music. Her father, Keshav Sahane, took her to dance classes regularly for 16 years. With her guru's guidance, her family's support and constant practice, Prerana passed three Bharatanatyam examinations.
On June 2, 2007, she performed a two-and-a-half-hour 'Arangetram' at Tilak Smarak Mandir in Pune. In this solo performance before nearly a thousand spectators, she proved the strength of her art. She has since danced in several cities across the country, including in the courtyard of the Kedarnath temple. She has also presented a two-hour solo dance-drama based on the life of Sant Kanhopatra.
In 2015, Prerana received the Government of India's 'National Award - Role Model'. She has been honoured with more than 35 awards, including the 'Rukmini Puraskar' and the 'Sangharsh Sanman Puraskar'. In June 2025, her group represented India at an international dance festival in Hungary. In 2026 she also took part in a dance festival in Sri Lanka. Her autobiography, 'Prerana - The Sound of Silence', based on her life, won the Maharashtra government's 2016 Laxmibai Tilak Autobiography Award.
Having performed in more than 75 programmes so far, Prerana will begin special Bharatanatyam classes for deaf girls from Vijayadashami. Her aim is that no girl should have to stay away from art because of a lack of hearing. Turning her own struggle into an opportunity for others, Prerana is not merely a successful dancer; she is truly a 'Prerana' (inspiration) who is giving new direction to the dreams of many girls.
