Chennai
Never in their wildest dreams, three school girls of a village, tucked away in a sleepy region of Karur district had imagined that their passion for music and dance would one day goad them to take the path unknown; of attempting to travel to a foreign country with little money and without passports. Passionate fans of BTS, the hugely popular Korean pop band, the girls, all aged 13 and students of Class 8 in a state-run school, decided to go all the way to Seoul, the South Korean capital, to meet their loved stars. The girls quietly stepped out of their homes on January 4 and reached Chennai after taking a train from Erode, which is near Karur. Since the girls did not return home, their parents lodged a complaint with Karur police, who alerted authorities state-wide and began searches. Though the teenagers together had just about Rs 14,000 with them, their savings, they naively believed that they could still make it. After much difficulty, they got a room in a Chennai hotel on Thursday night and were under the impression that they could take a ship to Seoul without passports. On Friday, their desperate attempts to go ahead dragged them from pillar to post and they lost all energy. Left with no choice, they boarded a train from Chennai to reach their homes. They were accommodated in a state-run facility in Vellore district and their parents were summoned and counselling sessions were held for the children and their parents. The official said the children were encouraged to focus only on studies which would help them realise their dreams, whatever it may be.
