Mark of Twins

 My tenure in Bangalore Mirror during April2010 has surely taught me a lot. A new world of thoughts opened, every time I met a different person listing his/her achievements. Yet, the most striking one was the story of these twins, who are identical in every possible aspect. They share the same physique, thoughts and have scored the same marks in every examination they appeared for. I have posted the same article that I had written, in the belief that one might find it interesting.


                                While one adds salt, the other adds spices; one writes a program and the other corrects it. They studied together and scored equal marks in all subjects throughout their education. They now work together at the same place and are budding bharatanatyam artists as well. Sounds unbelievable, but that's how identical twins Archana and Chetana have been living their lives.

Born on 07 November 1986, these girls were admitted to the SOS village at the age of 4. The village cares for children who are orphaned and homeless, by providing them shelter, education, extra curricular activities and most of all, mother's love. Around 12 children are grouped together and a 'mother' is appointed to them, who cares for their needs, educates them and nurtures their hidden talents.

A world within a world

Realising that Archana and Chetana had dance in their blood, Padmini, their mother initiated them into Bharatanatyam classes at the age of 9, under the tutelage of Devaki Narasimhan. They were also sent to A.V.Education Society, for schooling. "We were really upset when we were first put here. But gradually, we got used to living with the other children. It is a world within a world, where we are given ample encouragement, support, hope and faith towards a better and brighter life. Even at school, we received a lot of guidance from teachers and friends", says Archana.

Amazingly, both of them have ended up getting the same marks in all the exams they have taken till date. "Shyla, one of our teacher's, was extremely supportive. We used to study together and question each other. As a result, all through our educational years, we ended up getting the same marks. We got 95%  during our standard X and XII exams,"says Archana.

After finishing PU at Christ junior college, they moved to Don Bosco institute, to pursue engineering. Again they scored equal marks. "We were elated with the fact that we could finish our studies having the same marks throughout. We then joined KIET institution as lecturers for the same subjects. The look on the students' face was worth a million" said Chetana. Currently, they are working at Dexlers Information Solution, as project trainees. 

Dance as a career

 The twins are now pursuing their dance training under the tutelage of Bhanumati and Sheila Chandrashekar. "Our arangetram (debut performance) was in 2004. We have performed in Chicago, US, Delhi, Mantralaya, Mysore and other prestigious platforms of Bangalore including the town hall, Gayana Samaj. We have won around 50 state and national awards. Dance gave us the courage to open up and face life. We forgot our sorrows when we were into this", said Archana, who finds Anuradha Madhusudhan to be her role model.

So, does it mean these twins never differ in opinions? Of course they do. "We do fight at times, but get over it within minutes. Archana likes Maggi and I loathe it. Apart from this there are no other differences between us", says Chetana. Any marriage plans? "Right now, we are planning to get married and are searching for twins as well", she quips.

Their mantra for success: "God has been very kind to us. Although we were tried at times, people around us helped us muster the courage to face the challenges. Step by step, we have learnt to face the society. The minute we get out of difficult times, we realise that we have emerged much stronger. I request today's children to respect their elders and work hard. This is obviously, the only way to success" says Chetana.