Unveiled

And the winner is..........Naina Kapoor. Give it a big round of applause for our winner.

Fast forward three years

"Hey, did you see the latest post of Naina Kapoor?"

"Yes! I just wonder how could anyone be so perfect! Look at her hair, eyes, figure and height. She has everything which is required to be a perfect model."

"Hell no! I can't believe that someone can be so perfect in every possible way!" Tanya left the Cafeteria. 

"Shweta I think Taniya is just jealous of Naina because her sister didn't win the contest. And look, that same contest helped Naina become an international model. Now Naina is living the life everyone wishes to have." Riya started her usual bitching.

"May be!" Shweta exclaimed.

Three years back....

It was an online beauty contest conducted by a renowned modeling agency. Lakhs of aspiring models applied for it. There were seven rounds and it was the last round. The winner was equally judged on the quality of the posted photo, the likes and comments on it. There were shower of likes and comments on Kirti's post and why won't there be? Kirti being gifted with a beautiful skin, captivating eyes, a well maintained body and most importantly, posting the photo without any makeup outshone all other contestants who wore makeup.

"Di, I'm sure that you're gonna win the contest." 

"The results aren't announced yet Tanya and Naina is giving me a tough competition as well."

"So what? You have so many reasons to win."

"Really? Tell me the reasons."

"First of all you're my sister. Secondly.....aaahhh! You're the prettiest monkey I have ever seen." As always, Tanya didn't leave this chance to pull her sister's leg."

"Excuse me!!!!!!!"

Kirti ran after Tanya and after a hell lot of efforts managed to beat her sister with the slightest force possible and with all love.

"Tanya, had you not been there, my dream would just have collapsed. You know mamma papa would have never allowed me to join a modelling contest. But you didn't let them get a whiff about me, participating in the contest."

"Di, this is one of your biggest dreams and I can't let my sister's dream get buried deep inside her heart. Once you win the contest, I don't think there would be any hurdle for you to not become a model."

"I think the same. Mamma-papa would surely allow me after I win the contest. I'm truly blessed to have you as my younger sister. I love you so much Tanya."

"Ayyee, don't forget the promises you made. You remember them right?"

"I do your highness." Kirti said.

Both Tanya and Kirti giggled.

It's 20 past 12 at night....

"Tanya, why are they taking so long to announce the result?"

"They probably have some connectivity issues. Calm down di."

"They are live, they are live." Kirti yelled.

"Sshhh! You're gonna wake mom and dad up."

"I would like to appreciate all those aspiring models for making it to the final round. Winning and losing are everywhere. No wonder, you all are the best. A round of applause for you all. We're indeed happy to see that our industry is going to get some of the finest models in the near future. Well! I know I know your heart is beating at the speed of light so without much delay I would like to announce the name of the winner. Are you guys excited to know the name?So the winner is.......Aaahhh! Wait I got a call." Sudheer, the owner of the modelling agency, said in a funny manner.

"And the winner is..........Naina Kapoor. Give it a big round of applause for our winner."

In a fraction of seconds, the whole world of Kirti changed. 

"No this cannot be true. This cannot be true Tanya. I had the highest numbers of likes and comments at last. Tanya tell me this is not true. Tanyaaa my dreams......." Kirti was muttering everything loud and was sobbing.

Tanya tried her best to console Kirti but couldn't.

Knock knock.

"Di somebody's at the door. Probably mamma! Act like you're sleeping."

Tanya opened the door.

"Tanya we heard everything. Where is Kirti?" 

"Pa, ma you're awake till now? What did you hear Pa? And di is sleeping, I was watching K-Drama and was about to sleep. Now don't scold me for that. These lockdown days are meant to be enjoyed haha." Tanya tried to act casual.

"You're too much Tanya. At such an young age you learnt how to lie to your parents ha? What was lacking in my upbringing Tanya? Let us in. Kirti stop acting now." 

"Please don't get angry now. Let them speak up." Mrs. Negi tried to calm her husband down.

Kirti and Tanya had to confess about everything that has happened. 

"Kirti this industry is not for an innocent girl like you. We belong to a middle class family but me and your father has tried to give everything that you both needed. Your father and I had a lot of dreams which we couldn't fulfill because of our financial conditions back then. But we have always tried providing you the best we could, wishing that one day our daughters would grow up and fulfill our dreams. I hope you both will understand our emotions." Saying these Mr. and Mrs. Negi left.

"What about my dreams and my emotions Tanya? "Everything got collapsed in the blink of an eye. Just like mom and dad, my dreams of being a model will be a dream only."

"Di please don't lose hope. May be there's something really special in store for you." Tanya as always tried to be her sister's strength.

Kirti and Tanya's father became more strict than ever. He asked both his daughters to get back to studies. Deep down, Tanya and Kirti were really hurt for their last hope was collapsed. They were no longer the happy-go-lucky ones that they used to be. They hardly talked to anyone. They would spend most of their time in their rooms totally involved themselves in studies.

Three years later.....

"I'm so sorry aunty I didn't see you." A boy of tenth who was vlogging then, apologized to the person he bumped into as he didn't see her while shooting the vlog.

"Wait, what did you call me? Aunty? Do I look like your aunty?"

"Aahh! I'm sorry. I obviously needed to address you so I did."

"So? You'd call me aunty? Call me ma'am." The girl shouted holding the collar of the t-shirt the boy was wearing.

"Ma'am I'm sorry, please let me go."

"Don't you dare to come in front of me ever. Calling an international model as aunty is no joke."

"An international model?" The boy giggled.

The girl who was about to leave, heard it and came back. 

"Why did you giggle? Go get some knowledge about the outside world, you kid. Don't you know who am I? Ask any of your fellow mates about Naina Kapoor who has some knowledge about other things than cartoons." Naina left.

"Naina Kapoor? This is Naina Kapoor? What?"

Riyan reached his home and realised that the scene created between Naina and him was recorded in his vlogging camera. He was still in shock for the incident that took place. 

"Hey can you believe whom I had an encounter with today?" Riyan said to his friend over call.

"Whom'?"

"Naina Kapoor. She's such a......."

"What? Naina." Abhi spoke up before Riyan could finish. "My all time crush? You must be joking. Gosh, I'm living in Mumbai too but I never had an encounter with her. Had I had one, I would have been dead by now and you're so chill. I don't believe you bro!"

"Bro why won't I be chill? The side of her which I saw today made me this chill. She's not the Naina that we know. Let me tell you about the incident." Riyan elaborated about the incident.

"Nope! Not true. Naina can't be so fake. After all I have followed her ever since she has started her journey. Stop making stories. Bye talk to you later."

Riyan was thinking about the matter and suddenly his evil side came up. Naina has given him the best content that he could ever have. Being a budding memer and a YouTuber, he saw one of the best opportunities to grow his page and channel. Riyan started a live session and played the victim card. He told people how he was misbehaved and how Naina Kapoor fake it on the internet. He put the video on YouTube.

The video went viral. Lakhs of memes were made on Naina. Without makeup, it was hard for everyone to recognise Naina. She looked totally different. Nobody knew that Naina had so many flaws. 

"No Naina, I can't help you this time."

"But Sudheer...."

"Naina please. You've better thought about the consequences while misbehaving with the boy."

"Sudheer I gave you everything that you wanted ever since I had participated in the contest."

"Every item has it's expiry date honey."

"Did you just call me a product?"

"Yes Naina, girls like you are always an item for me."

"Sudheer what do you mean?"

"Oh come on Naina, don't act like an innocent kid now. Shall I reveal what relationship you and I share and that too with a different angle?" Sudheer passed a wicked smile.

"Sudheer?"

"Get lost. I need you no more."

Naina burst out in tears and left the studio. 

"It was never my dream to become a model. I know how much it took to reach this position. When life just started being the way I wanted; everything ended? Everything I did went in vain?"

Naina went into depression. She recalled all the time she misbehaved with her fellow models; all the time she had knocked her competition out of the industry. The whole world of Naina, her ego, the things she did without her will went in vain.

"No, I need to speak up. It's time for me to apologize to everyone." Naina thought.

"Shweta, Naina Kapoor is live on Instagram after the incident took place and after so long. Watch it." Riya told over the call.

"To everyone watching this live session, hi I'm Naina Kapoor. Yes,this is how I look. This is how I'm. Life is never a straight line for all. I was no exception. Life looks like a fairytale with all the make-up and edits, filters and high resolution cameras. Voice sounds soothing with the voice editing apps. Never dream of a life that you see somebody living in social media. You never know what that person goes through everyday. I have never wanted to be a model. But I was never good at any field. From academics to dance to singing to sports I failed everywhere. Being the eldest of my house, I had a lot of responsibilities. My father was the only person earning in the house with a monthly salary of Rs. 10,000. It took him a lot to feed a family of seven members and bear the expenses of his four kids. And then one day I met a guy. I will not mention his name as he's happily married now .

He had everything I wanted in my lover. I was loved by him like nobody else. I was his everything. Even being the only child of a well-to-do family he never felt shy to introduce me as his lover in front of his rich friend circle. I was introduced to a lot of things by him. He was the one who let me know about the contest which made my life better. From getting me dressed in famous dress designer's attire to clicking my pictures in his high resolution camera to collecting all the likes and comments on my post, he did everything. I checked the Instagram handle of the owner of the modelling agency.

I followed him and we started talking. I was offered a project even before the results were announced but I had to pay a price for it. I ditched my then boyfriend and he was scattered. I became selfish. It's time for me to apologize to all with whom I did something which cannot be forgiven. I would also like to apologize who had an inferiority complex after going through my perfect life which I show in 'social media'. Also I want to apologize to 'You', yes the you who did everything for me but I broke your heart like anything. I hope this video somehow reaches you. I'm officially retiring from this industry. At last, I would like to say, you all are the best the way you are. Nobody leads a perfect life. I repeat, NOBODY."  

Naina couldn't hold back her tears and somehow managed to end the live session with that blurry vision.

"Tanya why the results are not out yet?"

"Hmmmm"

"What hmm? Tanya I'm talking to you. I'm really nervous. I can't check the website anymore. What if I fail to crack it? I have worked so hard. After all it was my dream to fulfill mom's dream............Tanya are you listening to me?"

"Yes collector madam. Diiiii your results are out and you've secured AIR 2. Di you've made it di. Mamma Papa di has cracked UPSC CSE with an All India Rank 2. Mammaaaaaa"

"What? Kirti beta we always knew you're gonna make us proud one day. May you get all the happiness. From now onwards your life will be filled with joys. Clouds of sorrow is gone forever." Mrs. Negi's eyes became teary. 

"Tanya stop kidding. Show me the results."

"As you wish madam."

"It's true. I am not being able to believe it." Kirti's eyes were filled with tears.

Mr. Negi was the happiest. He couldn't speak anything. He hugged his daughter and cried. May be that was his way of apologising for being rude always. 

"Hi Tanya, congratulations for your sister's achievement. Shweta is with us in the conference call. See Tanya, didn't I tell you, your sister has a lot of potential. 'Beauty with brain' that's what she is. We will be getting one of the finest civil servants of our country. Sometimes it's good to lose. Had Naina not had any internal connections, your sister would have won the contest and such an innocent girl would have fall into the trap of that bustard Sudheer." Riya said everything in a single breath.

"What are you saying Riya? Didn't Naina win because she had a good quality picture? I mean that's what we got to know after enquiring." Tanya asked.

"Gosh, you don't know Tanya? Naina has confessed everything today in her live Instagram session. It's still there in her account. Do watch it if you get some time." Riya said in her usual bitching tone.

A week later.....

"It was such a tiresome week. It felt so awkward to face all the cameras and media in this week continuously."

Kirti, who once aspired to be a model felt awkward facing the cameras and why wouldn't she? Since the last three years she didn't click a single picture of her.

"Di, I forgot to tell you about something. Naina Kapoor was live on Instagram and she has confessed everything about her life. And she has officially taken retirement from the industry.

"What? Why?"

Tanya told everything that Naina has said. The video was going round among the masses. The success story of Kirti was telecast on the news channels and in contrast to that the hidden story of Naina was too telecast in the same channel. The increasing numbers of followers on Kirti's account with the few posts she had was opposite to that of the increasing numbers of people unfollowing Naina. The reality was celebrated, the fakeness was cursed. Indeed as the saying goes "All that glitters is not gold" and "A diamond is a piece of chunk of a coal that did well under pressure." And the reality was unveiled.