He danced with a broken leg

Bhangra artiste had an accident with a DTC bus a day before the opening ceremony; doctor had advised rest

He doesn't have feet of clay. Not when the country's pride is at stake. Premchand Kalhari, a bhangra dancer from Punjab, was excited to be a part of the CWG opening ceremony. But just a day before the main event, he met with an accident and broke his left leg.


u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0 Forward movement: Premchand Kalhari. pic/mid day

Initially Kalhari felt very dejected but he didn't lose hope. He went to a doctor and got the leg plastered. "The doctor even advised me to take complete rest otherwise the injury might aggravate. In spite of all this I wanted to perform at the event. This was one of the biggest events which the entire country would watch. So under any circumstances, I didn't want to miss the opportunity."

Finally when the moment arrived, the dancer stepped in with a broken leg and performed throughout the event. On being questioned how painful it was, he said: "Jab India ki izaat ka sawal ho, to sab dard gayab ho jata hai (when it's about the pride of India, the pain automatically vanishes)."

The dancer met with an accident with a DTC bus near Karol Bagh while he was returning to Delhi Cantonment area where the entire troupe was staying, after a practice session.

"The most difficult part was to perform continuously from 7 pm to 10:30 pm. There was a gap of just 20-25 minutes. The doctor asked me to come and see him once the entire thing got over and get it operated," the dancer from Mansa district said.

"When I went to the doctor the next day, he advised me to go back to Punjab and get myself treated. Getting surgery done in Delhi would have cost too much. So finally I decided to return to my hometown," Kalhari said, who was part of the troupe Rhythm of India.