THOUGH Canadian by birth, Sangeeta Bahadur exudes a strong sense of allegiance to Guyana and its culture, even more than what you might find among some Guyanese who were born and bred right here.

Sangeeta became a household name after she was crowned Miss India Guyana 2017 a few weeks ago. Taking part in the pageant was a particular challenge for Sangeeta, who had to be in constant communication with the team in Guyana, preparing even while she was still in Canada.

But for Sangeeta, it was all worth it, because nothing made her happier than to be able to represent Guyana on the world stage.
“To know that when you work hard for something and you persevere, when you succeed it’s one of the greatest feelings; it’s phenomenal! I think a great many of us have that strong Guyanese pride, regardless of if we live in the country or not and to be representing Guyana is a huge honour and responsibility that I am extremely proud and happy to have been given the opportunity to do,” Sangeeta gushed.

Though never setting foot on Guyanese soil until

she was 11-years- old, while in Canada Sangeeta was surrounded by her Guyanese family, and finally coming to Guyana was just a while of being able to experience the culture where it all started.
“[Guyanese] food, customs, traditions, and culture have been ingrained in me since birth. I always had extremely strong ties to Guyana and a sense of pride being of Guyanese heritage, even long before having the opportunity to travel to Guyana for the first time. Being brought up in Canada alongside my Guyanese customs allowed me to have a great blend of the two cultures,” Sangeeta shared.

Sangeeta’s mom is from the West Coast of Demerara, while her dad is from the ancient county of Berbice. Sangeeta is Guyanese by naturalisation.
“Since the first time I was in Guyana I loved absolutely everything about being in the country – just the feeling that you are surrounded 100 percent by your Guyanese people was a wonderful feeling and still is every time I am back in Guyana,” Sangeeta said.
But it’s not just her Guyanese culture that Bahadur is head over heels in love with: the 25- year- old is very passionate about her Indian culture. Hearing this young lady speak about her love for Indian arts just gives the sense that the Miss India- Guyana Organisation (MIGO) truly has snagged the prefect queen.

“I’m truly and happily satisfied with the panel of judges’ decision,” said MIGO Director, Uma Bux. “She is befitting of the title in all aspects of the brand. From the first time I interviewed her as a finalist, I was astonished and very impressed.”
Though currently in Canada, Sangeeta spent a while in Guyana after winning the crown on May 19. It was then that Uma really got to know a bit more about the beautiful queen.

“We connected instantaneously. The first time I spent some quality girl time with her was on our trip to Arrowpoint. After getting to know her through that, I must admit she’s an amazing, mature, well-grounded, beautiful young woman. She’s very pleasant to work with, and thus far, very respectable and cooperating,” Uma related.
Uma is particularly grateful to land Sangeeta, after the saga that ended with last year’s queen being dethroned for misconduct. Uma describes Sangeeta as “a rare find in beauty queens.”

Sangeeta is a seasoned Bharatanatyam dancer. Bharatanatyam is the dance form used to express Hindu religious themes and spiritual ideas. This skill came in handy for the marketing coordinator during her talent piece at the pageant. But, for Sangeeta, it’s more than just about dancing.
Over the years, Sangeeta has used her love for Indian arts, and skill as a dancer to support several charitable initiatives, both in Canada and in Guyana. She is actively involved in the Nirvana Humanitarian Foundation organisation, which raises funds to support global needs such as earthquakes and medical cases, as well as to support the local and international Indo-Caribbean community.

“I’ve been involved in volunteer work from a very young age. I remember when I was around six years old, a group of students would go to the senior home across from our school to spend time with the seniors. From there, I’ve just always been involved in various sets of volunteer work in Canada, especially through charity, dance and music performances for a number of different organisations,” Sangeeta said.
Her charity work also helped to open a door for Sangeeta to visit Guyana even more often, after a branch of the organisation was opened in Guyana.

“My contributions in Guyana strongly took off in 2012. I wanted to give the youths of Region Three the chance to learn Bharatanatyam, so I held a few free two- week workshop. I feel strongly about teaching our Guyanese youth, because not only are they learning proper technical aspects of the art forms, they are also building a diverse set of transferrable skills that help them to be more successful into their adult life,” she said.
Between holding down her job as a Marketing and Communications Coordinator for Carmen’s Group, and all her travelling around and performing to raise funds, it’s a wonder that she’s been finding the time to carry out the duties of her crown. But Sangeeta Bahadur just gets it done!

“It is a bit challenging but as the saying goes, ‘where there’s a will, there’s a way’. Time management also helps to keep me on track. I have a pretty comprehensive planner which is my go- to black book,” Sangeeta said.
Uma also agreed that managing Sangeeta has not really been as hard as it seems, particularly because Sangeeta has been a quick learner, and coming from such an all-round background, she didn’t need as much work as other winners had.

“It isn’t difficult to coordinate with her. We communicate with each other almost every day. She has already begun some of the training in Canada. She’s quite an excellent public speaker, so no need to train her in that aspect , but rather sharpen it. And since she’s a trained professional dancer, her talent is something we need not worry much about that either. It’s just to discuss what we are looking for in terms of choreography and music,” Uma explained.

More to their advantage as well is the fact that the Miss India pageant isn’t set until October, giving everyone more than enough time to get well prepared for the international pageant, ensuring that Sangeeta is the best that she can be, and make Guyana proud, just the way she has always wanted to.