BEING the only child of Bonita Baijnauth and Narhootam Sukhdeo, the reigning Miss India Guyana 2023, Aruna Sukhdeo, who lives in Bladen Hall on the East Coast of Demerara, wasn’t given a “silver spoon in her mouth” at birth. Still, she was raised to be kind, contented, and compassionate toward people and animals.
Even though there wasn’t a shortage of love and support from her parents, Aruna explained that she would have loved to have had another sibling to share her life with. However, she was very cognizant of how hard her father worked as a labourer and the sacrifices her stay-at-home mom made to ensure that she got the best education and the basic necessities of life.
Aruna, therefore, used her humble upbringing as a form of motivation to work towards making a positive impact in people’s lives, and she is also determined to make her parents proud of her and show them that their investment in her has not gone in vain.

In 2019, Aruna graduated from one of Guyana’s most prestigious secondary schools, President’s College, and he is currently entering her fourth year at the University of Guyana (UG), Turkeyen Campus, where she is studying business economics.
Even though the Miss India beauty was very focused on her books in school, Aruna explained that from her nursery school days in school, the teachers would ask her parents for her to participate in the school concerts as a model, and she would. However, she never thought that she would develop a passion for it until she reached secondary school.

According to Aruna, she is proud of being a Guyanese and has always wanted to contribute to Guyana in a “big way,” but she wasn’t sure how. Nevertheless, the thought of being in a pageant and representing Guyana locally and possibly internationally was in the “back of her mind,” but she never thought of it becoming a reality. As fate would have it, one day, Aruna was surfing the web when she stumbled upon the application form for the Miss India Guyana pageant. Not thinking much about it, she applied, got accepted as one of the contestants, and the rest is history, said Aruna.

While winning the pageant comes with its fair share of benefits, Aruna said there is much more to it than just the shiny crown, glamorous outfits, and makeup. According to her, it teaches self-discipline and body positivity to women of all shapes and sizes.
Aruna explained that the Miss India Guyana organisation’s aim is not just about winning a crown, but the director Hashim Alli and his wife Melicia Partab-Alli ensure that you are treated as a family. According to Aruna, their goal is to inspire young girls and women to be the best version of themselves and recognise that beauty isn’t based on what’s on the outside but, more importantly, what’s on the inside. She also related that the director and his wife inspire and motivate her and the other girls to return to society with the knowledge they have gained and be role models and positive influencers for other women and girls.

Lessons of Life
The classy beauty said that she is grateful to her mother for instilling confidence and life’s lessons in her, “My mom has taught me to never look down on people, always be confident and brave in life, face whatever fears I may have, and do not allow my fears to overcome me. In life, she said, a person may lose an opportunity at something if they allow fear to get in the way. And I go through life with that mindset of being fearless. She has also taught me to be polite and respectful to everyone I meet. It is her believe that it will take you a far way in life. My parents also support and encourage me to be independent and to give back to others.”

Advice to young people and young girls
As much as Aruna is grateful and humbled by her accomplishments, she is very honoured to be in a position where she gets a platform to speak to young people, especially young women and girls, about life’s challenges. The 2023 India queen said, “My platform for the pageant is mental health which is mostly focused on depression. This is something that I have dealt with. In high school, I felt pressured due to work and trying to figure myself out and felt depressed by just trying to keep my grades up while trying to be a part of the extracurricular activities in school. I was so focused on academics that I wasn’t thinking about anything else, but at the same time, I was trying to fit in with my friends and still dealing with the pressure of society.

Aruna said, “I know that a lot of young people are struggling with the same things as well, but in most cases, they are afraid to speak out. I understand how challenging it can be but do not keep it to yourself. Speak out. You may think that no one will listen to you or that you are irrelevant or what you are feeling is irrelevant but I can assure you that speaking up and speaking out, it will benefit you and help others. Don’t be afraid, you are worth it, and know that everything will be okay. You just need to take the first step and talk about it.”

The reigning beauty further asked the people of Guyana to play a more positive role in each other’s lives. According to her, society has a way of “looking down” on people for one reason or another. But Aruna said that it doesn’t matter how strong people are. It does bother them. People are human beings with feelings and regardless of how strong a person may seem, she wants you to know that you may never truly know what someone is dealing with. The decisions people make or how they choose to live their lives is their choice, and Aruna believes that it is not our place to judge that. She is hopeful that as a country and as a society, “we” can move away from this way of thinking, be more caring, show empathy, and let people live.

Extend Gratitude
Finally, Aruna expressed her gratitude to her parents for making the sacrifices and giving her love and support even when she felt like quitting. The director, Hashim Alli, and his wife, Melicia Pratab Alli, for believing in her, her best friend, Kavita Beharry, and her cousins, who she said have always been there for her.
Aruna also wanted to thank Ameir Ahmad Proprietor of Sheriff Security and the Proprietor of Mohamed’s Enterprise, Azruddin Mohamed, for generously supporting her financially on her journey.
Aruna is currently in India, and will represent Guyana on the international stage in the upcoming week.