Photo RAJ SURI
Miss India Magazine (MIM) interviewed Priya M after winning the Miss Photogenic and 2nd runner up at the Miss india Wordwide 2011 in Dubai. Priya won a photo shoot with imminent Australian photographer Raj Suri as part of her prize.
Miss India Magazine (MIM): So where did you grow up?
ANURADHA MAHARAJ, aka Priya Maharaj (PM): Originally of Indian decent from Trinidad, was born and raised in Jamaica. Living in New York,.. I spent my entire life in the same neighborhood, on the same street, in the same house. My family, especially my mother and Didi have done a great job at raising me so rooted in my heritage, through dance and religion.I do understand Hindi, only reason I don’t speak Hindi is because I have a silly fear of making a mistake, but I’m learning to overcome that, its all a part of the learning process, right? I am 23 years old, and I am having a hard time accepting it. I find myself still telling people that I am 22 and then instantly correcting myself… I am approaching my quarter life crisis and I am not handling it well!!!
I am a little over 5′ 6″ but I usually just round it up to 5′ 7″ because who likes to add the extra “.587″ =) I am a Leo in every sense of what defines a Leo. I am proud, loving, and I love my hair big, flowing and wild.
I recently graduated with a degree in Biology and I am exploring my options of whether or not to pursue a medical career, or genetics, or maybe I will follow my childhood passion of collecting rocks and study Gemology, you’ll be surprised to know how much scope there is in that field.
L - Priya M (Trinidad), Ankita Ghazan (Australia), Natasha Arora (USA)
Miss India Magazine (MIM): What made you take part in the Miss India Worldwide 2011? How was the experience for you in Dubai?
Priya Maharaj (PM):
So imagine growing up your entire life never too interested in traveling because you think you live in the best city in the entire universe. When people ask you the question: “If you can go to any place in the world, where would it be?”, you know saying N.Y.C. is not an option because that creates no excitement, so I always said U.A.E. Ever since I can remember, all my friends knew if I never made it anywhere else in the world I was going to make it to U.A.E.Then throw a pageant in there and it makes it a perfect opportunity. Not only would I be in one of the most fascinating places in the world but I would be spending my time with some of the most remarkable girls from all over the world, and that is exactly what happened. In a pageant environment there is a lot of pressure and I had developed great relationships with these girls, even if it was just about complaining and whining, we created a wonderful support system for each other. Thinking about it, throw me in a jungle with these girls, and it would be a great experience, we would have a BLAST…
Photo Raj Suri
Miss India Magazine (MIM): What was the easiest part of the competition and what was the most difficult? Why?
Priya Maharaj (PM):
I hate wearing high heels!!!! I love the look of them, but boy oh boy do I hate wearing them. Walking everywhere in them, wearing them through out rehearsals and dancing in them, only to get dressed for an evening event and have to wear another pair of heels. That pain was torture for me, along with having photographers there capturing everything! I hate taking pictures, I am a great sport about it, but if I can avoid it I do and believe me, there were times I just avoided being near a photographer so they don’t capture me cringing in pain because of my painful 4 inch heels!The easiest part was talent, I love dancing, and I believe that I dance better than I walk. Being on a stage and dancing feels like home, its where I am most comfortable, and I certainly don’t mind photos being taken while I dance.
Photo RAJ SURI
Miss India Magazine (MIM): You came as the 2nd runner up and were in the top 3 amongst 26 countries in the Miss India Worldwide 2011 – how was the feeling? You seemed quite modest about it?
Priya Maharaj (PM):
Being 2nd runner up was a complete shock, throughout the competition making it to top 10 and then top 5, I was surprised that I kept making it that far. I was competing against so many beautiful, intelligent and talented girls, and I thought to myself there was no way that I stood a chance against them, I certainly was not well prepared. I had not rehearsed a speech till a couple minutes before the show whilst getting hair and make up done, and while everyone was prepping for q&a, I was completely not focused. I am not very competitive, I did not go into the competition thinking that I am going to conquer this and win! So to me I was just taking it in as it came to me and doing the best I could at whatever was required of me.
Miss India Magazine (MIM): And of course you won the official Miss Photogenic title – did you expect that?
Priya Maharaj (PM):
NO WAY!!! I definitely did not, ask Ankita (Miss India Worldwide) during rehearsals I vented to her about how much I hate taking pictures. I would try my best to avoid cameras, but sometimes you just could not, so I would just make the best of it. When they announced that Miss Photogenic was contestant no. 22, I was thinking “wait, that’s my number…” I looked down to make sure and sure enough it was, I kept saying, “no way, for real?!, really? oh man!!! this is crazy!”
Miss India Magazine (MIM): You won the photo shoot as a prize – how was the experience working with Australian/Indian photographer Raj Suri who also grooms talent?
Priya Maharaj (PM): Raj Suri is such a talented photographer, any girl would love the opportunity to have him photograph her. He has this way of capturing the beauty of something that anyone else may think is insignificant. For a girl that hates taking pictures, I think if you saw us working together on this photo shoot you would have sworn that I love having my picture taken. He was great to work with, he was very patient and so encouraging. I did not feel uncomfortable or lost at any point. I can not wait to shoot with him again =)
Photo Raj Suri
Miss India Magazine (MIM): Do you think, as a second generation Indian, you still feel the connection to your country of origin? Is that a common phenomena for women around the worlld like you ?
Priya Maharaj (PM):
I have a bit more complicated situation than second generation Indian. My great grandparents were from India, my grandparents and parents are from Trinidad, and I was born and raised in New York, and despite being so far away from my roots I definitely feel a connection to my Indian heritage. Being raised so close to culture and traditions of my Indian ancestors has kept me grounded in an environment saturated with people of different backgrounds. I truly grew up in a melting pot of cultures, with kids that eat jerk chicken and listen to reggae music (that isn’t just the stuff they play in clubs but about everyday struggles), or kids that drink bubble tea and listening to Korean pop songs, or eating Matzos and singing Jewish Hanukkah songs. I embraced all of that, and everyday I came home and ate aloo parathas and karela and practiced dances to Hindi film songs. We never ridiculed each other for our different cultures but embraced them and learned how to keep an open mind to experience the beauty in each others lives based on how we were raised. I think we all have held on to our cultures so dearly because when there is so much going on around you, you always need something familiar to come back to to feel comfortable and our culture and traditions give us something to hold on to when we feel like we may get lost in the big city life.
Photos by Raj Suri
Miss India Magazine (MIM): How best one can express that “connection” especially when one is not living in India?
Priya Maharaj (PM):
I have been expressing and have seen others express their connection through sharing with other cultures. I don’t realize how passionate about my culture I am until I am explaining to other people “what we do as Indians”, whether its describing a wedding ceremony, or Diwali, even Hindi movies, or when I am explaining Indian dance. I get lost in giving full on descriptions of how colorful and vibrant everything is, and how everything has a meaning behind it. It is all truly so remarkable, and I think not living in India makes us appreciate it even more.
Miss India Magazine (MIM): What would be message you would like to give to any young woman of Indian origin living anywhere in the world ?
Priya Maharaj (PM): Always be open minded, soak up all the knowledge you can from everything you experience, and do not forget where your family has come from and the struggle they have experienced to maintain our culture. Always accept people for who they are, and never be afraid to be who you are.
