SURU MARIA – MRS INDIA HONG KONG & MRS INDIA POPULAR

• bey0ndM@gz!ne
• June 4, 2018
• People-Perspective
• 0 Comments

The real secret here is being able to switch between Give and Take and being able to realise that by “taking” sometimes they are actually “giving” their society exactly what they want!

What a pleasure to speak to you Suru. Having been titled as Mrs India Hong Kong & Mrs India popular, you are an inspiration to every woman. We would love to hear more about the person behind the title.

How did it feel to win the title – Mrs India Hong Kong?
The sky’s the limit, with wings to my soul. As little girls, we dream about pageants and it is true, what your dream, manifests! Winning the title was an amazing experience, but it is ultimately not the destination. It is, in fact, the beginning of my journey and opportunities that it strews in my way.

Was your husband supportive of your pageant journey?
Yes, he was highly supportive throughout the event. In fact, he is always more excited than I am whenever I venture into something excited and he always encourages me.

We got engaged when I was 16, so we practically grew up together. He appreciates the child in me. He has seen me grow as a teenager, as a daughter-in-law, his wife and mom to our children. We have cherished every second of happiness and braved out the moments of sadness together so he is truly the most important part of my life. Without his indispensable support, I don’t think I would have taken part in the pageant.

What made you enter the pageant?
To be honest, I’m a light-hearted person without many long term plans. Instead, I tend to take up small challenges and accomplish them as if I am climbing up a ladder, step by step.

When I heard about the pageant, the first feeling that ran through my mind was of fear but in that fear, I also felt pangs of excitement and that’s when I accepted the challenge.

Do you consider yourself a giver or a taker? And Why?
Being a woman, I think I play both roles diligently but as a mom, you can’t help but love unconditionally. You can’t always expect yourself to be a taker. The tender balance here enables me to
switch between giving and taking, and to realize that by “taking” sometimes we are actually “giving” something the society back.

Who are you inspired by, say a role model?
My mom’s unconditional love and dad’s heroic character have always been my role models. Mom is my mentor and my strength. Sometimes we look everywhere for advice but forget to ask our parents who have spent their entire lives brazing out the life’s uncertainties. Consult with your parents, they will always have answers to your problems!

I am also that girl who says she wants to be like her Mommy :)

What are some of your beauty secrets?
How important is it to look your best at all times?
Create an image in your mind of how you want to see yourself and follow that image whether it’s beauty-related or soul. You are never going to be wrong. It’s a fact that we want to look our best all the time but being yourself is what makes one happy and is the most important factor that contributes to your beauty. If you are feeling energetic, select the best dress from your wardrobe, put it on, polish up, change your game; and on low days, go with what you feel most comfortable in.

So it’s all comes from within. Being yourself is more important than being perfect.

Let’s talk about your costume for the pageant…
For each of the 4 categories, I selected costume colors and designs that best show-cased my personality & colors that would highlight me and my confidence. In the traditional costume category, I was in an orange colored costume representing our national colors but also reminded me of Holi.

My evening gown was golden with a hint of glitter for a bit of glamour so it was a lot of fun looking at costumes for a pageant.
We understand you do modeling, please share with us the most exciting part of your work.

I’ve started modeling recently and I am already receiving some amazing work opportunities. I’ve worked with Watsons in Singapore, Taiwan and Philippines. I’ve also had the pleasure of doing some catwalk in Hong Kong as well as for India’s bespoke fashion designer Manish Malhotra. Corporate companies have also approached me to work for them; these include iPhoneX, Mercedes Benz, Prism and some other brands.

Every day is exciting and now I witness how one opportunity can open many doors – most recently I was invited to the Hong Kong Film Festival and for the first time, I walked on the red carpet! So I am definitely holding out for some exciting projects on the way.

What has been your biggest challenge or obstacle and your methodology to overcome it and how it inspires our readers?
As a female, you run up quite a bit of inequality and feel a self-imposed sense of inferiority and these thoughts become so overpowering that it robs you of leading a fully self-expressed life. There is no defining moment, rather cumulative thoughts that lead to fighting against that inferior feeling, pangs of negativity, self-deprecating thoughts. And the resolve, in itself, was a push to weed those out and replace them with empowering thoughts of “I will” and “I can”. Every experience in the journey of life has been one of confidence or a lesson learnt.

If you were granted any wish, what would it be?
God answers prayers not wishes; What do I pray for? Truth, revelation, the gifts of the Spirit to work on Me, in Me, and through Me. I pray for mankind’s healing. I pray for world-love, tolerance and nonviolence in this universe and for peace to prevail.

What is your message to the future generation of females?
I want to emphasise the need to make good decisions as early as possible. You have one life as we know it, the cumulative effects of smoking, drugs and alcohol abuse catch up to you as you age. Eat well, get exercise, find joy in everything you do and be strong.

Last but not least, if given a chance to change something in this world what would you like to change?
I’m frustrated & angered by hearing reports of child abuse and sexual abuse, what would I give to fix a sex criminal’s mind? We will never understand the mind of a criminal or the compulsion behind their dehumanizing acts but it will take everyone in this world to take a stand on ‘respect for women’, moral codes and ethics, and every government to make reporting a crime a citizen’s responsibility.

It’s a fact that we want to look our best at all times; but being yourself is what makes one happy and is the most important factor that contributes to your beauty.

Interviewed by Gurpreet Kaur