by Melani Manel Perera

Eliminated from the famous Derana Dream Star, Luxmi Deepa Sharma, 21, reacted to the defeat by exploiting her natural talent for singing and music. Every weekend she returns to her native village to play the organ during mass. "My experience is a gift from God."

Colombo (AsiaNews) - "A disappointment can turn into far greater opportunities, but I understand that only because of my faith in Christ." Luxmi Deepa Sharma is a Tamil Catholic of 21, who works in a bank and has a great natural talent, she plays the organ and sings very well, despite not having ever taken a music lesson. So, she decided to join the Derana Dream Star, a popular music talent show in Sri Lanka. Unfortunately, she did not receive enough votes from the public, and was excluded from the final competitors. Instead of being disappointed like many others eliminated, Deepa began to wonder if it really was the chosen path for her and now, every weekend from Colombo - where she works - returns to her native village in Kandy, to play the 'organ and sing during the mass.

Each year more than a million people try to become the latest talent on Derana Dream Star". Created by the famous broadcaster Derana TV, the program lasts six months. The selections are based on votes from the audience: the candidates receiving the highest number of text messages can go ahead and hope to become one of the 48 competitors. Unlike other talent shows, to get as many votes as possible, participants can garner publicity through posters, flyers, internet videos or even live performances.

For Deepa however it was a chance for a different experience: "I work at Sampath Bank in Colombo, and I did not have much time to prepare. In addition, I did not spend much money on advertising. Like me, there were six other competitors originating in Kandy: the thought of papering the district with my photos for votes, seemed unfair, creating a competition in the competition. So I just said it to my relatives and friends. "

When she discovered she was eliminated because of a lack of votes, she admits that she felt sad. Around her, other young people excluded from the selections burst into a desperate weeping. "It looked like they had lost everything. At first, I feared above all that I had let my mother and my younger sister down. I knew they had great hopes in me. But at the same time I thought no, maybe Jesus wanted me to follow a different path ... I realized that my defeat was a victory for Christ. " And today, when every Sunday she goes back to Kandy to play the organ at her church, "I understand that my entire experience was a gift from God."

"When she was little - tells her mother, Ramani Sharma - Deepa got sick and became deaf in one ear. Over time she regained her hearing, and only then began to play the organ. She could not hear, and without knowing the notes followed the sound produced by her fingers. If I look back, her life seems a miracle of God. "

 

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• lanka
• colombo
• talent
• show
• defeat
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• god