Selected after auditioning in Kuala Lumpur, she consistently wowed the judges and avoided elimination to progress to the next stage, making it all the way to the last round before the grand finale.
Although she wasn’t selected as one of the finalists, her achievement is still remarkable, especially since this is her first international competition.
“It was a fun experience and I learnt a lot,” Arulini told FMT Lifestyle with a smile.
The Johor native, who spent seven months in India, admitted that she did feel homesick as it was her first time away from Malaysia for so long. Still, she added, she was grateful to have stayed with her mother’s friend, whom she grew close with.
“Another challenge was learning how to manage my stress as every contestant is required to master a song within five days,” she explained.
It was the support from her family and close friends, she shared, that kept her going. One special moment was when her mother, Khasturi Ramalingam, surprised her right after one of her performances.
Arulini told FMT Lifestyle that the day her mother visited her had been a particularly difficult day as she hadn’t eaten well and had nearly fainted after singing. “When I saw my mother, I just broke into tears,” she said.
Despite the challenges off the stage, she was always a picture of confidence on stage, making it hard to believe that she has mild autism.
She also experienced speech delay when she was younger. In fact, she didn’t start speaking until she was seven years old. “Before that, music helped me a lot,” said Arulini.
Her mother often found her listening intently to songs and humming the tunes. Perhaps, she mused, her love for music started because her mother played Mozart when she was pregnant with her, and even attended Carnatic singing lessons.
However, things didn’t get easier for Arulini when she got older. Weighing 65kg when only 12 years old, she was a victim of body shaming. She was even called “kutty yaanai” or baby elephant.
“I was so depressed and cried in the toilet every day after school. I even tried committing suicide. I just wanted to fit in and be accepted for who I am.
“But my mother told me: ‘an ugly duckling would eventually turn into a beautiful swan,’” she recalled, adding that she also found strength from motivating words in Tamil literature such as “Thirukkural” and “Seiyul”.
Despite her struggles to fit in, she never felt out of place when on stage. “I never had stage fright. Growing up, I used to watch kids performing on television and it was so exciting.”
She was eight when she first performed for Teacher’s Day in school and there has been no stopping her since.
She went on to participate in district and state competitions and later became a finalist in “Minnal Star”, a local singing competition. She also became the champion in the first season of “Big Stage Tamil”, a local reality television show.
Singing, she shared, is a way for her to convey a message about autism. “I want to show that those with autism are not looking for sympathy, we are looking for empathy.”
Today, as Arulini shines on stage, it reflects her unwavering determination to overcome obstacles that come her way. Her inspiring story was even featured in Tenaga Nasional’s Deepavali advertisement this year.
Next, she will be lighting up the big screen in a local movie, “Aaradhana”, slated for release next year. She also plans to work on a single.
“I’ve learned that no matter what people say or what happens, don’t give up on yourself. Believe in yourself and don’t be afraid to embrace who you are.”
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