Short Stories de Vida

8. A Dream Achieved

Ayra Iyer - that name rings music to many ears. Afterall, she is a huge name not just in the K-pop industry but the entire music industry. Her story is in abundance of perseverance, hardwork and determination.

"Ayra", which is another name of Goddess Sarawasti, the goddess of wisdom, was a name no less befitting for the witty girl. Ayra was an epitome of beauty. Her small face and large expressive eyes made her a heartthrob. She was her own fashion icon, her sense of fashion was very unique and O.G. Her voice so ethereal, it seemed as though an angle singing. She danced gracefully like a Goddess. Although she seemed to have it all, her way to the top was a road down potholes.

Ayra was born in a not so well to do family. Her father worked odd jobs to ensure three squared meals everyday. Even with such unfavorable conditions, her parents ensured that there shan't be any compromise in her and her fraternal twin sister's education. They made sure to send them to the best possible school.

The sisters were extremely determined to study hard and reward their parents in the future for all the struggles they had been through for them. Both of them were very bright students, not just academically but also intellectually. When in second grade, it was a must for students to pick an extracurricular activity pursue alongside their academic subjects. Ayra's sister, Ananya, opted for Acrobatics while Ayra joined for Contemporary Dance.

When the sisters turned eleven, they discovered K-pop. They were intrigued by the talent of the idols. They were sure of their future. They wanted to be K-pop idols. They were dreaming of being a duo, when reality hit hard, no one of them could sing or rap. Unfortunately, their parents weren't in the condition to afford for vocal classes. It was as those their luck was in their favour, when a man with 5 years Karnatic Vocals moved in next door. He had lost his family to a landslide. The girls filled in his void of loneliness and in return, to shower them with gratitude, he agreed to coach them vocals without a penny.

Although they both worked on their vocals equally, Ayra just sounded better all the times. She received praises from their coach every now and then while Ananya got quite less praises. She was just no one in front of Ayra. She was happy for her sister yes; but she pittied herself. To make Ananya ready for being K-pop idol, Ayra took it upon herself to train her in dance. Ananya being an acrobat was able to pull off certain steps much easily while Ayra struggled to do so.

Their hardwork payed off when they passed their audtion for "Symphony Ent." at the age of seventeen. Bidding their parents with tears of joy and a tinge of sadness, the girls left for South Korea for the next phase of their lives which was going to be hella hard.

Their daily schedule was super hectic. 6-8 in the morn', Korean lessons; then 8 hours of school; 4-5 in the evenin' for vocals; finally some time to work the school stuff from 5-7; 7-8 was dance practice; a bit of free time till 10; then 10-12 for extra practice. And to top it all, they had to follow a super strict diet to maintain their weight. Everyday was a day full of fatigue. Yet the girls weren't up for calling it quits. They hard worked too hard to reach there.

One day, while trying to pull off a dance step where she was to jump off of the shoulders of a backup dancer, Ayra lost control and ended up injuring her knee. It happened to have been baldy dislocated and around 3 metal screws were fitted to stable her knee shape. It brought the worse, 2 months bed rest and around 1 year for her to be able to mover her leg like before. Ayra's heart sank.... she was almost useless now.... if they find someone quite a tad bit talented, they wouldn't think twice before sending her on the plane home.

Ayra's mental health was badly affected by this, she suffered from depression. Ananya stayed by her side and always made sure to do her best to cheer Ayra up. She made sure Ayra took her medications for both her pain and her depression. Ayra's absence in the practice session put Ananya in the spotlight. Suddenly she was the favourite of all the trainers. Ananya for once was glad to be out of Ayra's shadow. With Ananya getting all the time to shine, Ayra worries were just deepening and deepening.

After 2 months, Ayra was finally out of bed, she was under physiotherapy and was slowly walking again. It took her around another month to be able to start dancing. However, her knee was too weak to take her weight and she would lose balance a lot. Ayra began to lose hope in her dreams. One night, while Ananya was sorting out her stuff, Ayra, who was lying on the bed spoke up, "Anu, I don't think I can survive in here anymore. I think my chances to be a K-pop idol have just.... vanished." "Don't say that. I know you will recover soon and we will reach our destination together, hand in hand." Yet, Ayra could not help but worry.

"Confidence, that will help you. It's your fear that if stopping you, why not try putting it aside for once." That got Ayra thinking. Next day, during practice she told herself, she could do it and she did. She wasn't able to nail if perfectly but she was able to dance again. Overtime, Ayra started gaining her spirit and her skills. She became confident than ever and began to climb everyone's favourite list again. Though Ananya was happy for her, deep down she was pained with the realization that she would be in Ayra's shadow once again.

___________

It had been 2 years since they had been training under "Symphony Ent." and the day for a bunch of girls to form a group had finally come. It was their time to shine, thought the sisters. But what came next shattered one's dreams and broke the other's heart. Ananya hadn't made the cut. She had to either retain or leave for home. Their parents couldn't afford for a retain. A heartbroken Ananya left for home. Ayra was torn to pieces to watch her sister leave for home. Her dreams of being on the stage with Ananya, just shattered like that. She vowed to be the best for both of them.

Ananya on the other hand became very miserable. For a month, she neither talked to anyone nor stepped out her room much. But she soon realized, she was more life out there and she knew exactly what to do with it. She opened an Acrobatics-Dance Studio for coaching Acrobatics and Dance. In the mean, Ayra debuted with a group called "JustZest". She clicked the most among her group for her mad vocal skills and out of this world dance skills.

Today, she is a role model to many, but her role model, is her sister. Even though her dreams were shattered, she found something to cling to for happiness. Ayra's story teaches us that one can reach heights with determination and perseverance. While Ananya's teaches us that one can always find happiness is more than one way.