'I thought I wouldn't win Dance India Dance Li'l Masters!'

11-year-old Teriya Magar who hails from Nepal, won the Dance India Dance L'il Masters Season 3.

Teriya Magar, 11, defeated her closest contenders Hardik Ruparel, Anushka Chetri and Sadhwin Shetty to win the Dance India Dance Li’l Masters championship over the weekend.

The young girl from Nepal still cannot believe her luck.

“Minutes before the announcement the audience was shouting out the name of another finalist,” she recalls. “I was disheartened. I thought I wouldn’t win. Even when my name was announced, I couldn’t believe I had won. I thought I was dreaming!”

.

Teriya has been dancing since the age of two.

Speaking of her interest in Bollywood dancing Teriya reveals, “I haven’t learnt Bollywood dancing from watching films because I don’t want watch too many of them. My guru in Nepal has taught me Bollywood dancing along with other forms of dancing.

“It’s important to dream,” she continues. “I come from a small country but my sister and I have been given the freedom to dream. My sister is 14 years old. She is more interested in studies than dancing. Although I am passionate about dancing, I am also interested in studies. I always come first in class. Now that I have won Dance India Dance Li’l Masters, I will go back home to continue my studies.”

Teria has great ambitions for the future.

“I want to be a choreographer and a dancer when I grow up. I saw how my mentor Omkar Sir (Omkar Shinde) worked with me. Without him, I could’ve never got the steps right. It’s important to get the right guidance in life,” she says.

Now she cannot wait to get back home. “I want to share my excitement with my grandmother and my sister. I love India and really enjoyed being part of Dance India Dance. The look of pride and happiness on my parents’ face when I won was a bigger award for me than the prize money. Now I want to go home.”