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Unfortunately, the wounds on her right leg were covered with Plaster of Paris, when they should

have been left open. Gangrene set in. Her whole body turned blue. It was then a question of life or
limb. Eventually, her right leg had to be amputated from about eight centimetres below her knee.
Her world fell apart as she had just embarked upon a sparkling career in Bharatanatyam. But given
her fortitude, she refused to accept defeat. She vowed to walk again and that too without crutches.

When the family paid a visit to Ross and Company at the Opera House in Mumbai, Sudha happened
to notice the famous Jaipur Foot in one of the showcases of the company. That’s when she learnt
of Dr Pramod Sethi who had won the Magsaysay Award for his development of the Jaipur Foot. She
met him and asked point-blank, “Will I ever be able to dance again?”

“Why not?” he replied and these became divine words for her and fuelled her cherished dream to
become a successful dancer. But her father, K.D. Chandran, remembers how he himself had asked Dr
Sethi whether he really thought his daughter could dance and the doctor had replied in the negative.

Says K.D. Chandran, “Thus, from the word go, in her mind she had already accepted the disaster in
her life and I knew I wouldn’t have the pressure of rehabilitating this girl. That was a great relief for
me!” He added, “Undeterred by the loss of her God-given leg, Sudha was determined to continue

as a performing artist. She underwent rigorous practice with her Jaipur Foot until her leg began to
bleed profusely. The spring in the equipment got jammed and she could not continue.”
She again communicated with Dr Sethi who directed one of his assistants to watch Sudha perform
on stage. He also took the advice of her dance teacher and gave her a replacement which was more

suitable for her dance movements. The world famous doctor told her that if she “had the will and
the determination, no one could stop her from dancing again.” For three weeks, Dr Sethi tried out
different options by observing her dance movements. In the end, he made a special leg that would
not hamper her movements as a dancer.

When she became comfortable with the Jaipur Foot, Sudha ventured to give her first public
performance in Mumbai in 1984. So she struggled, spent many sleepless nights, to emerge a winner
at the end.

Her vigorous efforts were crowned with success. She gave her first performance with the Jaipur Foot
with assurance and aplomb. “The rest is history,” her father proudly exclaims. The Bharatanatyam
recital by Sudha Chandran was a fine example of fortitude and tenacity prevailing at the end—a
triumph of spirit over matter. She was able to sustain the audience’s interest with her neat footwork

perfectly synchronised with the bhava (emotion), raga (melody), and tala (rhythm) throughout the
performance. It was refreshing to witness Sudha supremely confident of herself.
Here is where Sudha gives her father full credit for having infused in her the confidence to try out

anything she wanted in life. She still remembers her father’s advice: use the crutches not to walk ,
but to hit Mr Fate in the face. And gritty Sudha did just that. “Never can I forget the indefatigable
enthusiasm of my guru, Ramaswamy Bhagavathar, who helped me in my determination to get back
on stage.” He had modelled the dance footwork to suit her legs and she executed them to the best
of her ability.

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