Sarzana wins Bangladesh title in Miss South Asia Australia

Cultural Correspondent
Bangladeshi girl Sarzana Asif Jyoti wins the title of Miss Bangladesh in an Australian beauty pageant, Miss South Asia Australia, on Sunday.
This title win allowed her to become the ambassador for the South Asian Australian community. She has already received a contract for walking in the Melbourne Fashion Week.
How the fairy tale started
Sarzana moved to Australia in 2015 for pursuing Masters in professional accounting and is currently employed in the field of her study. However, as a child she always enjoyed playing ‘dress up’ with her mother’s dresses and make-up. She would stand in front of the mirror and sing, dance and act. Just like most children of Bangladesh, Sarzana was also told to prioritize studies in order to achieve financial independence, however she always had the secret passion of being a model and a performer in arts.
Sarzana told the media : “I signed up in the competition just to try my luck and have fun. But as the final day approached, I was nervous. When I saw the other participants, I was awestruck by their beauty and intelligence. But, during our grooming and training I realized, beside being beautiful, each of the women was educated and successful in their area of work. We all bonded and you won’t believe there was nothing except positive vibes and good wishes for each other.”
In regard to how she felt at the moment of announcement Sarzana said: “Numb! I needed some time to process what was happening. After I was flooded with wishes, I realized my life has changed. I have a platform and a title to say something, to do something. That’s a huge responsibility, I hope I can always stand as an example for women who are struggling to find their own identity and pursue their dreams in a foreign land.”
Future plans and family support
In response to whether she will pursue modeling and acting full time Sarzana said: “ I want to! As I mentioned, I love to dress up, walk and pose. It’s a kind of performance and audience interaction to me where I can use my creativity to express an idea or a message.
“However, I don’t comply with the idea of being size zero and objectification of the women’s body to sell commodities. I don’t have any craze for thousands of followers in my social media. I love my privacy and my personal life. But if any opportunity arises, I am very interested to work on good ideas and concepts where my presence can add meaning or beauty in the big picture. And about acting, as long as there is a good story to tell, I am more than happy to be a part of it,” Sarzana added.
As for her parent’s support Sarzana said: “Always! I have the best parents in the world who had always given me the freedom and privilege to make my own choices and decisions. They have always put their full faith in me. My mother is my best friend.”
Before this pageant Sarzana had done some photo shoots for both Bangladeshi and Australian photographers and designers, and receiving appreciation for such work was a big confident boost she said. She recently had performed a Bangla folk dance for an event in Australia, in which one of the organizers of Miss South Asia Australia were present. The organizer was impressed with her grace and beauty, and asked her to participate. She thought “why not?” And the rest is history.
Miss/Mr/Mrs South Asia Australia pageant is a platform for aspiring young ambassadors, who wants to make a difference, in the South Asian Australian community.