(July 7, 2023) The daughter of an Indian-Guyanese labourer and a stay-at-home mom, Aruna Sukhdeo created history by winning the Miss India Worldwide 2023 competition becoming the second Indian-origin Guyanese to achieve the feat in the pageant’s 33-year-old history.
Since 1990, Miss India Worldwide pageant has seen the participation of young girls of the Indian diaspora from across the world. Conducted by the US-based India Festival Committee (IFC), it provides a common platform for the international Indian community to shine in the world of pageantry. It was a proud moment for the Guyanese diaspora when Aruna raised the Guyanese flag at the international stage upon winning the prestigious title and crown.
Miss India Worldwide 2023, Aruna Sukhdeo
Aruna who belongs to a family with humble backgrounds would be using the platform to work on the mental health issue – something which is affecting the well-being of youngsters across the globe. The concern comes from her own life experiences. Talking about mental health and depression, she said, “This is something that I have dealt with. In high school, I felt pressured and depressed by just trying to keep my grades up and at the same time, trying to fit in with my friends and dealing with the pressures of society.”
The fourth-year student of business economics at the University of Guyana (UG), Turkeyen Campus also won the Miss Beautiful Hair title in the competition. With music being her ‘escape’ the youngster who calls herself ‘an aspiring economist and singer’ mesmerised the judges with her singing talent during the competition. Proud of the diversity of India in the final round of the competition she said, “Everywhere we go Indian food and music is celebrated. Diversity is key in my culture and I love it.”
Overcoming fears
The only child of immigrants Bonita Baijnauth and Narhootam Sukhdeo, Aruna visited her native country, India for the first time as the competition was held in Pune. Coming from humble background and owing to fear of height the twenty-year-old had never taken a flight to India or anywhere else but has been raised to respect and identify with the Indian culture.
Every year Miss India Worldwide competition takes place in a different country. Luckily for Aruna it took place in India which gave her an opportunity to come to her native land. Talking about her flight experience, she said, “I felt like I’ve conquered one of my fears right there and that was an experience in itself before even reaching the international stage.”
The Indian experience
Not only did Aruna relish every moment of being in India, she was highly inspired with the ‘amazing’ Indian-origin talent that had travelled from different parts of the world to participate in the competition.
It was intimidating for her to see the best Indian-origin representatives from different countries competing against her. But at the same time, it was a huge opportunity for her to learn. “Simply being with those phenomenal girls, hearing their thoughts, seeing what they bring to the table, was a great experience,” she said after winning the crown.
Being in spotlight
Being on stage is something that Aruna loves right from her nursery days. When she got to know about Miss-India Guyana competition which eventually gave her entry into Miss India Worldwide pageantry, she looked at the platform as an opportunity to work on an issue which is closest to her heart – mental health.
“I looked at the pageant as an opportunity to create a platform for my voice to be heard. If you don’t have a platform, no matter how much effort you make, no one is really going to hear what you’re saying,” the twenty-year-old remarked.
She has been living with her family on the East Coast of Demerara and is totally in love with Guyana as she was born and raised there. By winning the crown Aruna’s goal has been to also ‘put the country into spotlight.’
Multitasking along the way
Although Aruna considers her time management skills to be good, participating in Miss-India Guyana and subsequently Miss India Worldwide posed many challenges as her exams were around the corner while she prepared for the two back-to-back competitions.
Just a day before the Miss-India Guyana competition the timing for her final exams and the final stage rehearsal clashed. She felt like quitting, but then reminded herself that if she wants to do something extraordinary, she would have to take the challenges in stride. “In the end, winning both the local and international titles was a testament to my hard work and determination, and was a very rewarding experience,” she remarked.
Proving the worth
Aruna considers her mother as her greatest source of inspiration who taught her the virtues of kindness, contentment, and compassion. “My mom has taught me to never look down on people, always be confident and brave in life,” said the youngster. She is also grateful to her father who despite having meagre means ensured that Aruna got the best education and all the necessities of life. “My parents support and encourage me to be independent and to give back to others.”
The youngster considers her humble upbringing as a catalyst to work towards making a positive impact in people’s lives, and is determined to make her parents even prouder. “I want to show them that their investment in me has not gone in vain,” says the beauty.
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