Cancer threatened to shatter her Anjali's dreams, but she fought back.
Anjali Roy was an 11-year-old when her life turned upside down after she was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma, a cancerous tumour in a bone, in 2013. However, the little girl refused to buckle down and decided to fight.
Anjali was diagnosed with the deadly cancer in her left knee, and after some deliberation, her doctors concluded that amputating Anjali’s leg, was the only way forward. They counselled the girl before the surgery, trying to convince her that all wasn’t lost, and also made her watch the movie ‘Naache Mayuri’, while she was convalescing in the hospital.
Naache Mayuri is a biographical film based on Bharatanatyam dancer and actor, Sudha Chandran, who lost her leg in an accident. The story depicts how she received an artificial Jaipur Foot and eventually learned to dance again.
An inspired Anjali decided to pick up her ghungroos a year after her cancer surgery. Her parents, Amit, a garment factory worker, and Rita, ensured the little girl studied in school and danced, despite the family’s poverty. In fact, special arrangements were made to ensure a dance teacher came home to teach Anjali, as she couldn’t travel to her dance school.
The labour came to fruition this Poila Baishak when the South Point Ex Student’s Association (SPESA) felicitated Anjali, who is now a 16-year-old. The girl gave a fantastic dance performance, to Tagore’s classic ‘Mor Beena Uthe Kon Shure Baji,’ and was accompanied by Dr Arnab Sengupta (vocals), who is the director of SGCRI, and a South Point alumni.
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Sandip Roychoudhry, the VP of SPESA, echoed everyone’s thoughts when he said that the girl’s indomitable spirit had left everyone in awe. He also informed the Times of India, that the SPESA will help her pursue a career in dance.
Anjali’s performance also caused many organisations to come forward to provide her with a prosthetic leg, to help her dance comfortably.
Kudos to Anjali’s indomitable spirit!
(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)
Featured image courtesy: Cancer Centre Calcutta.
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