Walking the ramp for the first time, Anjali Varma never expected to make it to the second round of the competition, much less be crowned Miss Malayalee Worldwide 2013. The Thailand-based beauty says she was shocked when she was declared the winner of the pageant held at Kochi recently.
“I have never competed in a pageant before nor have I ever participated in a fashion event, even though I have been active in sports and cultural competitions. I didn’t even know how to walk on the ramp when I joined the competition. My mother didn’t even bring a camera to the event and we had come here planning to go back to Thailand after the second round. So winning the competition came as a surprise,” says Anjali.
However, Anjali says it was a huge relief that it was a personality pageant and her figure and appearance was not as important as her attitude. “I didn’t have to go through special diet plans, but a lot of attention was required to perfect my poise, attitude and walk. It was a very special experience. Discipline was a major part of the preparation. For everyone else at the show, this was a goal. For me, the pageant was just another experience,” she says. She won the contest competing against 16 contenders from eight different countries and was crowned by Oscar winner Resul Pookutty.
Anjali feels it was the question and answer round that won her the crown in the end. She explains, “My talent show performance was not up to the mark while everyone else put up very good performances. I don’t even want to talk about the ramp walk as it was a disaster. However, when it came to the question and answer round I was given a beautiful question. I was asked what a woman should be and a subject that is very close to me. So I believe that was the winning point for me.”
This beauty may be new to pageants but she is no stranger to talent. “I have always been interested in sports. I’m a Bharatanatyam dancer, I play the piano and I’m good at basketball as well as paragliding. It was my father who got me interested in the sport. I started flying when I was 13 years old and I still love it. I’m in love with the piano and I have one of my own. These are my hobbies,” she says.
Ask her why she joined the pageant and pat comes the reply, “My father told me about the pageant and I thought it would be a good opportunity to visit Kerala. I’ve spent most of my life in Thailand.”
Referring to her future plans she says, “I had no plans to work in the fashion world. However, after I joined the pageant I am being asked about my future in the field that I’m starting to think about it. However, my main focus would still be a career in engineering.” Anjali is presently a second year student in Mechatronics engineering in Thailand.
