I am Sheena Saxena from Lucknow. Most of the time I felt like something is missing in my life, I am unhappy for nothing but I was not able to figure out what. It was a very exciting day for me as my dream had come true and I had been selected for a dance show in a leading Television Channel and I had to go for the final round in Mumbai next week.
I reached Mumbai with my mom a day before the final round. Next day, as we reached the venue I saw few contestants practicing their dance moves in the ground, I got scared to see their performance as they were really very good but then my mom told me to relax and not to worry, she told me that I was not any less than anyone there.
I started to make myself comfortable and opened my bag and took out my make-up box. I saw myself in mirror confidently and played my dance song on CD player and started practicing. After about 15 minutes I heard something, it was a call for some contestant, “Ms. Komal Sinha, please come for audition”. I moved my head towards that voice and saw a girl going towards Audition room; I was surprised to see her. My eyes were at the audition room. After about 5-6 minutes I saw her returning from audition, she was screaming with joy as she had got selected.
I was not able to understand if I was happy or disappointed. I stopped my CD and tried to divert my mind towards other contestants. Then after 3-4 more boys and girls it was my turn. As soon as I heard my name I hugged my mom and ran towards the audition room. I reached the stage, there were two judges sitting there. One of them asked, “Sheena, can you tell me why we should take you forward? What is so special about you?” I took a deep breath and replied, “Sir and Mam, First of all thank you very much for selecting me for final round and giving me this opportunity to show my talent in front of you. I started dancing at the age of 5 and I took formal dance training for 5 years and now I am taking dance classes for children of age 5-10 years. My ambition is to make a dance school in my home town Lucknow to prepare world class dancers and to make my dream come true I need this platform. “
Judge said, “If in case you are not selected in the final round, what will you do?” I said, “Nothing, I will prepare myself for next season with more hard work and practice because I want me to be here.” Both the judges smiled and the second judge said, “Excellent, this is called the dedication to achieve your goal. I am not sure if you are going to be selected or not because that will be finalized after your performance but one thing I am sure that you will succeed in your life.” Then judges asked, “May we have the music please?” I started my performance, after 2 minutes judges asked to stop music. “I think you need not prepare yourself for next season…….” Said the judge and said with smile,“Because you are selected in this season itself, come and take this cap”. I was jumping with joy and ran towards judges. I came out of the audition room with happiness on my face. My mom hugged me; many of the other contestants were congratulating me. Suddenly I saw Komal who was looking at me from far and looked happy.
Our trainings started in groups of 5 dancers each for first performance which was to be aired in next week and at the same time we were assigned the groups. During the first performance I saw Komal again but we both pretended like strangers. During this performance we were assigned to the specific groups related to the judges. I and Komal were in different groups. Four weeks passed and fortunately I was safe so far from elimination and Komal was also doing very well. On 5th week we were informed that some special guest was going to be in the show.
On the day of the performance we took our seats on one side of the stage. The host started talking about the guest, “Friends, today we have a very special guest who has done a lot for dance and dance lovers but never came in limelight. He is running a dance school for poor children free of cost. He works as a choreographer for television industry and donates almost everything except some amount to spend on his simple life. Please welcome Mr. Rajat Kishor.” I could hear a huge sound of applause in audience. I almost fainted when I heard the name. I never expected to hear this name again in my life.
He came on stage with smile on face, waving hands in the air. While moving towards his seat he stopped a while near the contestant’s seats and looked at me and Komal for a moment then smiled and walked ahead. As soon as he got seated our host asked him, “Mr. Rajat, we are glad to have you on our show. Thank you very much for sparing your valuable time for us. Sir, we know very less about you. I am sure like me our audience and our contestants are also eager to know about your life and your goal and obviously about your dance school.”
Mr. Rajat started speaking, “I was born in a very poor family in Varanasi. From my early childhood I was fond of dancing but due to financial situation of my family I was not in a position to afford dance training so I did practice on my own. I used to have a FM radio so I waited for a dance song and as soon as the song came I start dancing. I imagined the steps and danced on my own. When I was only 15 years old my father died and my mother brought me and my younger brother to Lucknow. I started working in a restaurant as waiter. Whenever I used to get time I would do dance practice also. After 1 year my mother got a job in a bank, and our situation started getting better and I joined a dance school in Lucknow.” He took a pause and again started saying, “It was my dream always to open a dance school for poor children like myself and it became true after about 10 years of struggle.”
Host said, “Thank you sir and we are proud of people like you who do not forget their roots even when they become big. You know we have one contestant from Lucknow, Ms. Sheena. ”Mr. Rajat said, “Yes I know.” After few moments again he added” I keep watching your episodes so I have seen her performing.” I was getting uncomfortable. Our performances started. My performance was not that good that day because I was too nervous.
After performance we returned to our hotel room, I got freshen up and called room service for a tea. In next 5 minutes waiter served me the tea. While taking the sips of tea I started thinking about Rajat and Komal and slowly I started remembering old days when I started dance classes after completing 12th. It was the first day in the class, everybody was doing the practice but I was not able to understand what to do so I sat on a chair and started looking at others who were doing practice. Suddenly Rahul Sir came in the hall and called everyone to stand in the line and called me. He introduced me with others saying, “She is Sheena and today is her first day so I need someone who can guide her about our dance class. Komal can you help her.” Komal came forward and shook hands with me and said, “Don’t worry, it is not that difficult. I will let you know everything and our great trainer Rahul Sir is also with us.” Rahul Sir smiled and started the class. He asked me to just watch the class that day and start formal training from next day.
After the class Komal came to me and we started sharing our details. I came to know she also had completed her 12th in commerce like me and it made us more connected. We became best buddies on the first day itself. She told me all the rules and regulations about the Rahul Sir’s classes. Next day onward my formal training started. Because of my interest in dance and the hard work I became one of the best dancers of the school. Being the single and pampered child I could never tolerate someone to be ahead of me. Komal also understood that and she always supported me. If someone in the class looked better from us we played cunning game to either defeat him or her or to force them to leave the class.
One day when we reached the school we found that there was a boy standing with Rahul Sir. Rahul Sir introduced him to us as Rajat. He looked very poor and lean. Rahul Sir said,” Rajat, she is Sheena and the other girl is Komal. They are best dancers of this school so I would suggest you to be with them for some time to take the guidance, it will help you.” We felt proud and we nodded our head in agreement. But internally we were not very happy to know that this poor boy would be with us. Still we started guiding him. We understood that his father was no more and he had only mother and a younger brother in the family. Slowly we felt that he was a very good dancer and even he started doing better than us. Now this made me uncomfortable and I started making plans to defeat him. I asked Komal to help me. Initially Komal was not ready to help me in this plan because Rajat was poor and he was taken into the class on concessional fees. If he had to leave the class he would have lost his entire career. But I was desperate because I could not see anyone doing better and to steal the place of best dancer in the class. But she could not kept her out of this as for her my friendship was greater than anything. So she assured me to do whatever I might ask.
Now I started planning against him but everything was getting failed. So I made a big plan and asked Komal to play the main role. I asked Komal to pretend that she started loving Rajat and to keep him away from practice so that he may not performed well in next test and make Rahul Sir unhappy with him, and leading to end his association with the school. Komal unwillingly started doing whatever I was saying. Many times Rajat and Komal were missing from practice. I was always ready with some good excuse for Komal by which I could manage to convince Rahul Sir and slowly he started getting unhappy with Rajat.
One day there was our test and we had been given a sudden situation to perform. Contrary to our expectation Rajat gave an excellent performance and Rahul Sir forgot his unhappiness with Rajat and declared Rajat as the best dancer of the class. Komal could not perform because of less practice and even I was also so much involved in the planning that I could also not do good. Rahul Sir warned both of us for our performance. Komal was very upset due to all this. Rajat was trying to make her relaxed. But I was out of my control I was feeling like Rajat has given me a great defeat and I had to take revenge for this. A dangerous idea had strike through my mind. I knew after all that happened so far Komal was not going to support me for this so I thought to make it the other way. One day, I followed Rajat and Komal while they were on date. They had gone to central park and were sitting at a place which was not visible to general public. I took some photographs of them in some awkward position and came back home. Late evening I went to Komal’s home, we sat in her room and I told her that I saw her in central park and even showed the pictures on my cam.
She was surprised and scared. She started begging me to not to tell anyone. I said, “I will not show it to anyone and even I will dispose it off but you have to do one last thing for me.” Without asking she agreed to do anything. I asked her to come closer and whispered whole thing. She jumped with shock as she did not expect me to ask that. She said, “Sheena you are out of your mind, you know you are trying to spoil someone’s life. This is crime, I cannot do this.” I replied, “You have to because if you will not do this you may save his life but you will spoil your life because I will share this photo everywhere and just think what may happen to you.” There was a dangerous cunning smile on my face and she was too much scared. So as per plan Komal asked Rajat to come to her house on Saturday afternoon as her family member were going out of city for some marriage and she was not going because of her practice classes. Rajat came to her house at 12 PM and both sat in the drawing room and started talking. As per plan at 12.30 PM I came to Komal’s home and rang the doorbell. Door opened and Komal came outside screaming, “Help! Help! Some body help please save me from this man.” Rajat was taken aback on what was happening, he tried to hold Komal but suddenly I hit him with a wooden stick he fall down on floor, till that time more people from neighborhood had gathered and started beating him. Someone called police also. A police van came and inspector asked everyone to leave him. He asked, “What were you doing here?” He said, “I was just…” I interrupted, “He is our class fellow in Rahul sir’s dance class. He said he needed some information and for that he came to Komal’s house. Komal asked me to join her as nobody was there in her house so I came to accompany her but before I reached he came and started misbehaving with her. Fortunately I reached before any miss-happening.” Police officer slapped on his face and asked Komal, “Do you want to say something.” Komal said,” No but I do not want to make any complaint as this will ruin image of my family.” Police officer said,” Man, listen as she did not make any complaint so I cannot arrest you at this moment but I want you to leave this city immediately otherwise I will make your life hell. “
Rajat was silent and left. I was happy inside because my plan was successful but Komal was very sad. After that day we never saw Rajat again and after some time we heard that Rajat had faced nervous breakdown. I also felt sorry for him. After few months Komal also left from Lucknow. After that after so many years now only I saw Komal and Rajat again and this made me too much uncomfortable, I was surprised to see Rajat become so successful and popular.
I finished my tea and started taking rest. After few minutes Komal came to my room. It was surprising since so far in last 4 weeks we never interacted with each other even when we were in the same hotel. She was looking uncomfortable and asked me to join her on terrace as she wanted to talk to me. I followed her; we reached to the top terrace. Komal started, “You saw Rajat, He is completely well, means whatever news we got about him was not correct. It may be because of my prayers for him, I always felt guilty for what I had done with him. When I left Lucknow, I never expected to meet any of you both in this life again. I have done wrong with him and you were the reason. I wanted to clarify to him that whatever had happened was not my mistake I did what you asked me but I am not able to face him. You are responsible for everything.”She started crying, I was not able to say anything. I knew whatever she said was correct.It was my mistake which spoiled life of Komal and Rajat.
Suddenly I heard someone’s voice, “I know that. Even if you did all that for the sake of your friendship but the fact is you betrayed me. I believed you blindly because I loved you but you…….you used me.” We both were in shock and looked at Rajat with our wide open eyes. He was standing just few foots apart from us and was looking at us with sorrow and disappointment.
Now it was my turn to intervene, “Rajat, please do not blame Komal. She is innocent whatever she had done was because of me. I didn’t realize thatI spoiled two lives rather three lives. Yes since then I also was not able to make myself happy in any circumstances. Once you left I could understand that Komal was also in love with you but she never shared that with anyone and she had lost the hope to get you back in her life. I also felt very bad about all what had happened but I could not express as Komal left the city and never contacted me and I was not aware what happened to you after that and where were you. Fortunately our passion for dance was still there in our hearts and that made it possible to meet everyone again. Please forgive Komal she loves you still I know and you also love her, I don’t want to lose this opportunity which God has given me to do penance for mistakes and to do something good. I have always done wrong with people but this time I really want both of you to be together. Please accept my request, I will never ask you to forgive me because I don’t deserve that but don’t leave Komal.”
Komal was crying badly. Rajat came close to her and put his hand on her shoulder. It looked like she was waiting for that moment only and she hugged him tightly and started crying “I love you, please don’t leave me, my life is useless without you.” Rajat said, “Even my life has no meaning without you. It was only you whom I ever loved.” I watched them with tears in my eyes and smile on my face. I felt too light as I paid the biggest debt of my life. I got my best friend in my life again and now I could understand what was actually missing in my life.
Komal decided to marry Rajat and left the show. I won the show and donated everything to Rajat's dance school and joined the school as trainer.
