There is one friend in every group who is obsessed with making 'Tiktok' videos. I am sure that a person's face would have crossed your head right now. Well talking about such 'viral tiktok' videos, one such viral video was a game-changer in Chandni Nair's life too. Chandni is the latest Tiktok sensation that everyone is raving about but she's overcome several hurdles to get where she is today.
Born with a condition called myopathy, a disease of the muscle in which the muscle fibres do not function properly, Chandni developed an interest in the lip-syncing, much before such apps like Tiktok came into existence. "When I was a kid, I used to mute ads in TV and exactly mimic their voice with the lip sync. I guess that was the beginning for the actor in me, but I never thought such apps would come up in the near future," she laughs. Dubsmash came in first, and Chandni got introduced to it when she was pursuing her B Pharmacy.
Currently pursuing her final academic year in Pharm D (PB), she has a story to narrate about her education and the humiliations she had to undergo while growing up due to her condition. "During my board exams, I could hardly sit for a few minutes as post-surgery pain is something which can never be explained. My mom used to tear every single page of my book and give it to me. I would read them, one after the other and that's how I made it," says the 23-year-old. "And the support my school gave is immense. They built a verandah to connect the two buildings I had classes in so I could move around at ease with my wheelchair and also built a special bathroom for me. When I missed classes, my teachers used to come home and teach me. I could never thank my correspondent Hari Krishnan sir enough for this. He is the reason why I'm here today, he continues to encourage me in my studies, singing as well as acting," says the alumna of Plato's Academy Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Tirupur.
"Even during my 10th standard, the doctors had to fix two rods and nineteen screws near my spine. It was a painful process, but still, myself and my parents were determined to sail through the challenge. I managed to score 96% in the medical cut-off. Though I had enough marks even under the general quota to easily bag a seat in medicine, I was denied due to my disability," she says. But her will power kept her going. "I did not stop there. I checked for the course which could give me the same satisfaction of being a doctor and finally, I found B Pharm. I was the rank holder in nine subjects in B Pharm and also was the fourth rank holder in the university in my first year at Pharm D (PB)," she smiles.
But her struggle was far from over then. "Most colleges denied admission. They would give me a merit seat, but when they came to know about my condition, they would reject me. The humiliation went to the extent of people asking me to stop being ambitious. But, how can I be denied something, when I am capable enough of proving myself," she asks.
She finally managed to get through The Oxford College of Pharmacy, Bengaluru. "The place is more disabled-friendly. And I have friends too," she laughs. "During my school days, I had lesser time with classmates. Most of them sympathised. I did not know what friends were until I got there," said Chandni, who hails from Tirupur.
Chandni is also a trained Carnatic singer. "One of my tiktok videos hit 5.8 million views and is still counting. It became so popular that I was invited to perform at the Flowers TV Comedy Ulsavam programme. Somebody from the Department of Social Welfare and Tribal Affairs, Lakshadweep saw the show and invited me for a programme. Here, I addressed people and kids who were differently-abled. I gave a motivational talk there," she smiles. But that was not all, "I am being invited as a guest for music and dance competition as a judge in various schools. This definitely makes me proud because I am being recognised for my talent and not my disability. I was never bothered about it, as I was brought up like that," she concludes.
