Miss Saree M’sia hopefuls chase the dream

The audition to search for Miss & Mrs Saree Malaysia 2019 has gathered quite a handful of hopefuls hoping to get selected.

The event took place at Da Men Mall in Subang Jaya on April 7, 2019.

The girls and women went through a selection process that included going on stage and giving a short introduction of themselves, doing a catwalk and answers to questions from a panel of judges.

Those who have talent were given the chance to showcase what skills they have in support of their application.

The contest is open to Malaysians of all races, aged 18 & above and with a minimum height of 155 cm.

The finals of Miss & Mrs Saree Malaysia 2019 will take place at atrium ground floor, Da Men Mall on May 4, 2019.

Jeyabarathi Rajagopal, a 25-year-old professional graphic and fashion designer from Kuala Lumpur, showed up at the audition clearly excited.

“The core reason I join Miss Saree Malaysia 2019 is that I believe every child has a dream. A dream to be successful in life. Same goes to me and that dream can be achieved by joining Miss Saree Malaysia,” she said. 

Jeyabarathi is a graduate of Limkokwing University of Creative Technology with a Degree in Professional Design and a Diploma in Fashion and Retail Design. She is also a make-up artist and model.  Currently, she is the managing director of Bellezza.planet, one stop online centre.

Last year, she competed in Miss India Worldwide Malaysia 2018 and went on to do very well by placing in the Top 5 and won the subsidiary title of Miss Congeniality. She also competed in Ratu Anggun Malaysia 2018 and won the Miss Photogenic subsidiary title.

Jeyabarathi never gave up on her dreams. This year, she is determined to make her dream to be crowned Miss Saree Malaysia queen.

“By winning Miss Saree Malaysia crown, as a young modern minded Malaysian Indian woman, I am able to spread good values, virtues and principles; cultivating self confidence, self respect and self esteem and nurture the beauty and importance of our Malaysian culture, heritage and traditions to the younger generation.

“I want to be a successful woman in my own way, and being a beauty queen is a path to achieve that. Beauty has a vague meaning, to me it includes both inner and outer beauty,” she said.

Jeyabarathi, at 170cm (5’ 6.9”) tall, loves dancing. The hobby has given her a great way to express herself when words are insufficient.

“I love to dance because it’s a way to express my feelings, communicate new ideas, awakens new perceptions, create new memories and promotes self-esteem.

“While we mesmerise the art of dancing, we also can recognise the uniqueness of our culture, the fabric of our society and the understanding of diversity and values of the people of Malaysia.”

Jeyabarathi hopes to be chosen to compete in the Miss Saree Malaysia pageant.

For Prema Vijayan, 29, from Port Dickson, an assistant curator in the Department of Museums Malaysia, she came for the audition after her Facebook friend shared the post about the Miss & Mrs Saree Malaysia pageant audition.

“A woman is considered as more gorgeous and beautiful when she wears the saree. By joining this pageant I hope to create awareness and pride of the cultural beauty of wearing saree. The pageant is also a wonderful platform to encourage Malaysian women of all races to wear saree. This is the true meaning of multi-racial culture,” she said.

Prema, who is also 170 cm tall, had last year participated in her first beauty pageant – Miss Stylish Tamilachi 2018 – organised by Radio Soup Fm.

“It was my first step into the pageant world and I have gained strength, courage and confidence by the experience, and brave enough to be on stage in front of a large crowd.

“I love spending time with my family for they are life’s greatest blessings. I’m an energetic, outspoken and friendly person who loves meeting people and making new friends,” she added.

Prema has her eyes firmly set on the future. “I want to start my own restaurant in future. This idea struck me when I was doing my part time job as a waitress in a restaurant. I learned about the importance of customer satisfaction and services. Since then, it has become one of my passions of cooking and serving Indian food.”

Prema says she enjoys performing and loves to be on stage. Her other interests include jungle trekking, dancing, and cooking (and experiencing) new recipes.

Prema also hopes to be selected to join the Miss Saree Malaysia pageant.