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11-year-old performs Bharatanatyam 20 ft underwater to highlight plastic waste problem: ‘Stop dumping plastic’
The young dancer, Thaaragai Aarathana, performed Bharatanatyam fully dressed in traditional attire.
In a remarkable show of creativity and courage, an 11-year-old girl from Puducherry chose the ocean as her stage to highlight the growing problem of plastic pollution.
Instead of performing on land, she took the bold step of diving nearly 20 feet underwater to deliver a message about the dangers that plastic waste poses to marine life.
The young dancer, Thaaragai Aarathana, who is also trained in diving, performed Bharatanatyam fully dressed in traditional attire, complete with jewellery and makeup.
A video of her dancing underwater shared by Shubham Bhardwaj is going viral on Instagram.
“Thaaragai Aarathana — The Girl Who Turned Dance Into an Ocean-Saving Mission” the caption of the post reads.
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Bharatanatyam beneath the waves:
The video captured the unusual and striking sight of classical dance taking place beneath the waves.
She relied entirely on the power of movement to communicate her message. Each pose and gesture was carefully executed to draw attention to the harm caused by plastic in oceans.
HT.com has reached out to Aarathana for more details. This report will be updated when she responds.
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Check out the video here:
Social media reacts:
Instagram users reacted strongly to the video. Many praised the young dancer for her courage and dedication, calling the underwater performance inspiring and powerful.
One of the users commented, “Salute to her mother and father, who have such a big heart.”
A second user commented, “Isko kahte hai respect and love for nature”.
“Thats is beyond amazing! First of all, being able to go all the way deep is hard, yet alone hold your breath and dance is beyond words”, another user commented.
The video was shared on December 23, 2025, since then it has gained 24,000 views and several comments.
