Indian troupe to perform at opening

For some Indian dancers in Sydney, it has been a dream come true to be performing at the Olympic Games opening ceremony.

While the Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games and choreographer Jason are keeping the show a secret to surprise the world on September 15, the troupe selected to perform finds it difficult to conceal their joy.

Raghavan Nair, with his troupe of nine dancers and Devinder Dharia, with his group of 15, will represent Indian culture as the eyes of the world turn centrestage to witness the opening of the world's greatest sports festival.

"One morning I received a call from the Ethnic Department asking me to come for audition. I could barely believe what I had heard. I went with 20 of my Indian and Australian students.

"There were about 35 groups waiting. Each was given two minutes to perform. Our excitement knew no bounds when we were amongst the chosen 20-odd groups comprising about 2,000 dancers," says Nair, who hails from Kasergoe village in Kerala and whose father, Krishnan Nair, was a famous Kathakali dancer at Kalakshetra in Madras.

"As I was growing up, I realised that my village had only green fields and farming to offer. We moved to Delhi at the age of 10 and it was while living in Mandi House that I was exposed to the rich world of dance, drama and music," he said.