Nepal: She lost her legs but that didn't stop her from flying high

By Binod Prasad Adhikari
Lalitpur [Nepal], December 28 : Sita Subedi was determined to make a career in dance, but her journey almost ended when her leg had to be amputated due to cancer; however, she pursued her passion and went on to become a successful dance instructor.
She lost her left leg to cancer before entering adolescence, at the age of 12.
Growing up in a rural settlement of Chitwan District, Sita Subedi felt it was end of her passion for dance when one of her leg was amputated.
She faced abuses, discrimination and disregard by the fellow classmates and the neighbours who feared transmission of cancer from Subedi and remained far from her. It was dance that filled the void and her alienation.

"I had keen interest in dance since my childhood. I really wanted to get into the field of dance not just for entertainment but as a stream of study and profession. I had the feeling that dance merely is not a means to entertain but a means of my life which drove me to dance academically also," Subedi told ANI.
"But when I was 12 years old, I had to get my leg amputated because of cancer," she added.
It brought a whirlwind into her life. She then could not dance nor live a normal life. It took quite a long time for her expand her wings and take the flight to the horizon of dance.
"After giving my SLC (School Leaving Certificate) examination. I started off in search of 'inner me' as I had got to the level where I could decide about my career; in order to exercise this kind of freedom I opted to study in Birendra Campus instead of a college that was in my vicinity. Upon coming to Bharatpur I continued the study along with my passion of music and dance. I set off in search of amalgamation of these two things," she further said.

Notably, Sita was one amongst the 18 students who have managed to pass the SLC exam from her Janaki Higher Secondary School in Meghauli Chitwan.
Soon after passing SLC, she got admission at a local dance and music school in Bharatpur but had to face questions over her physical status. The instructors then had questioned her ability to dance in one leg comparing her with other fellow trainees.
The dance and music institute asked her to stop coming for classes within a month of her formal joining.
It was not the first time that her dream was shattered. Right before the whirlwind at the age of 12, her dancing passion wasn't liked by her family either. Born in a high caste Brahmin family, the endogamous society objected to her inclination towards dance.

"In order to get back to practicing and learning dancing days, I had to endure a decade long wait. I got the chance only after coming to Kathmandu, that too in course of completing my second graduation degree when I chose music as my major subject. My music Guru Dhan Bahadur Gopali then suggested that I learn dance as an academic. He then directed me to the field of dancing and got me admitted to the dance class. Then after I resumed that part of my life which was stalled a long ago," Subedi recalled.
Upon coming to Kathmandu, she joined Padma Kanya Campus in 2015 and continued her further studies of Bachelor's level and consecutively enrolled herself in Kalanidhi Indira Sangeet Mahavidyalaya, affiliated to Pragya Sangeet Samiti Allahabad India, to learn Kathak.
By then she was studying music and Nepali at the college while she was mastering her dance skills at Kalanidhi. It took her two complete years to prove to her dance instructor that she can appear for the exam for academic degree.
"At the beginning there were some difficulties relating to the body language but the constant practice changed that over time. She catches the meaning and always has the readiness to correct the steps, that has been encouraging for me as a teacher as well as her being the student. The close coordination which needs to engrave in between the teacher and student is reflected at the time of teaching which has been a motivating factor," Rabi Rana Magar, Sita's dance teacher told ANI.

After years of devotion and passion Subedi in the year 2018 became the gold medallist in dance subject. Despite going through lows, Subedi's perseverance paid off as she has stood tall in the society as an accomplished dancer that too in Kathak dance.
On top of that her unwavering passion for dance also has made her an acclaimed dance instructor now teaching Kathak to half a dozen students at studio.
When it comes to proving her ability despite the "odds" directing to her physical ability by the society Subedi won the title of Mrs. Nepal International and is preparing to participate in the International pageant next year in Singapore.
"Even now (despite the achievements and recognition) when someone points out to me and says anything relating to my physique, the major concern and focus lies on the efforts that I've put to accomplish it and time I spend for it. As you set off on a long journey, you should continue your hard work and devotion towards it for the success, it is what I've been saying to myself and others," Subedi said.
Upon the attempt to resume her life back in Kathmandu, Sita had to face numerous rejections from the dance Guru's (Instructors) who regarded her as unfit for the genre of dance.
Subedi's story reminds many of a Bollywood biographical movie 'Nache Mayuri' made in 1986, starring Sudha Chandran. Chandran lost her leg in an accident which was amputated, but she went on to become an accomplished Bharatnatyam dancer.