TWELVE YEARS EARLIER
"Sa..Re..Ga..Ma..Pa..." I sang aloud as my aunt guided me and played the keys on the harmonium, an Indian instrument. After singing the same five notes for two hours, I was exhausted. My aunt told me that in order to become a good singer, I would have to practice "riaz", an Indian classical technique to tune one's voice to perfection. Aggravated by the fact, I remained indifferent to my aunt's words. After all I was only five at the time, and children lose their patience quickly.
PRESENT:
...Standing at the center of the stage, I looked at the audience. All eyes and ears on me, anticipating whether or not I would be able to meet their expectations. Sweat started to trickle down the back of my spine at the sheer thought of this. My heartbeat raced so fast that it would pour out of my chest. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and thought of my aunt. "Believe in yourself and great success will follow you," said my aunt. I vividly remembered her words, took a deep breath and told the anchor to start the song. Nervous at first, I started to sing. At the start of singing, I lost myself in the songs' words and meaning and nervousness went away itself. Mid-way into the song, I realized the sound of the music was too loud and no one was able to hear my voice. As I instructed the anchor to lower the music, he misunderstood me and stopped the entire song. Extremely embarrassed and ashamed, I told the speaker to stall for five minutes. I panicked and needed a breather. What is the audience thinking? How will I ever be able to perform again? Words of regret and anger washed over me. Weak and distressed, I decided to abandon what's left of my performance.
Days...weeks...months...passed by and I still wasn't able to forget the failure of my performance. It was my first performance with an immense audience; my supposed break-through performance. Doubt and fear did not leave any room for second chances; to perform elsewhere. I wallowed on this fact for months until my mom told me to practice one day. I dragged myself to the music room reluctantly. After setting Indian instruments up and warming up my vocal chords, I realized I've been apart from music and singing so long that I was unaware of how much it means to me and how much I have missed it. As I started to practice singing, a revelation stirred inside of me. No matter what, I could not give up music. Without music, there is no me and vice versa.
The most important things in life are to discover who you are and what you
aspire to become. Many people search their entire lives and cannot find out what makes them really tick. Others find their talents and never have the opportunity to pursue their talents full swing. A very small percentage of the world's people discover their talents and pursue their passion in their careers.
Singing is a major part of my life and always will continue to be. Singing became a part of my life; both at school and at home. Singing also provided mental therapy as well as physical therapy. Whenever I got sick or felt stressed, I would sing in order to reassure myself. Singing had the biggest impact on me. Singing will always be a part of my life. If I have the opportunity to perform, I will perform because just as much as I like singing, I also like to entertain people with my music. Singing for me is not a desire, it is a necessity.
...I stand at the center stage again...ready to perform. Confident and determined, I look at the anxious crowd awaiting my stellar performance. This time, it will be different. I take a deep breath...3,2,1....
"Sa..Re..Ga..Ma..Pa..." I sang aloud as my aunt guided me and played the keys on the harmonium, an Indian instrument. After singing the same five notes for two hours, I was exhausted. My aunt told me that in order to become a good singer, I would have to practice "riaz", an Indian classical technique to tune one's voice to perfection. Aggravated by the fact, I remained indifferent to my aunt's words. After all I was only five at the time, and children lose their patience quickly.
PRESENT:
...Standing at the center of the stage, I looked at the audience. All eyes and ears on me, anticipating whether or not I would be able to meet their expectations. Sweat started to trickle down the back of my spine at the sheer thought of this. My heartbeat raced so fast that it would pour out of my chest. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and thought of my aunt. "Believe in yourself and great success will follow you," said my aunt. I vividly remembered her words, took a deep breath and told the anchor to start the song. Nervous at first, I started to sing. At the start of singing, I lost myself in the songs' words and meaning and nervousness went away itself. Mid-way into the song, I realized the sound of the music was too loud and no one was able to hear my voice. As I instructed the anchor to lower the music, he misunderstood me and stopped the entire song. Extremely embarrassed and ashamed, I told the speaker to stall for five minutes. I panicked and needed a breather. What is the audience thinking? How will I ever be able to perform again? Words of regret and anger washed over me. Weak and distressed, I decided to abandon what's left of my performance.
Days...weeks...months...passed by and I still wasn't able to forget the failure of my performance. It was my first performance with an immense audience; my supposed break-through performance. Doubt and fear did not leave any room for second chances; to perform elsewhere. I wallowed on this fact for months until my mom told me to practice one day. I dragged myself to the music room reluctantly. After setting Indian instruments up and warming up my vocal chords, I realized I've been apart from music and singing so long that I was unaware of how much it means to me and how much I have missed it. As I started to practice singing, a revelation stirred inside of me. No matter what, I could not give up music. Without music, there is no me and vice versa.
The most important things in life are to discover who you are and what you
aspire to become. Many people search their entire lives and cannot find out what makes them really tick. Others find their talents and never have the opportunity to pursue their talents full swing. A very small percentage of the world's people discover their talents and pursue their passion in their careers.
Singing is a major part of my life and always will continue to be. Singing became a part of my life; both at school and at home. Singing also provided mental therapy as well as physical therapy. Whenever I got sick or felt stressed, I would sing in order to reassure myself. Singing had the biggest impact on me. Singing will always be a part of my life. If I have the opportunity to perform, I will perform because just as much as I like singing, I also like to entertain people with my music. Singing for me is not a desire, it is a necessity.
...I stand at the center stage again...ready to perform. Confident and determined, I look at the anxious crowd awaiting my stellar performance. This time, it will be different. I take a deep breath...3,2,1....