I have ironed the saree, the purple Kanjeevaram. We purchased it from Nallis in Chennai last Diwali, but your father wanted me to keep it as a surprise. We all have been looking forward to this day. Today you will step on stage as a dancer, as an artist, as a part-custodian of an art form that is more than 2000 years old, an expression of grace and form in a world increasingly marred with noisy and gaudy fixations. I remember your first day of dance class. You were 5. Shy and