PAUL Andrew Dwarka, a 24-year-old past Mr India Guyana semi-finalist, wants to break the barrier of stigma and discrimination faced by men in pageantry in Guyana.

Also a dancer, Paul has been in the entertainment industry since 2019 when he was shortlisted in the Mr India Guyana Pageant.

“My interest in pageantry initiated a few years back, but I mustered up the courage to apply for the Mr India Guyana 2020, under the organisation headed by Mr and Mrs Hashim and Melicia Alli,” he told The Buzz this week.

While being a logistics co-ordinator in the oil and gas field, Paul feels that his participation in pageantry helps him be truer to himself.

“I took up training for this competition and realised that it was more hard work than people believed it to be. I learned a lot about myself, especially in areas of resilience and discipline,” he expressed.

For Paul, venturing into this field was part of his personal goal to try new things. “And it certainly pushed me beyond my limits. I was able to overcome the jitters of public speaking and impromptu speaking,” he mentioned.

Most importantly, Paul said he was able to use the opportunity to develop his platform which focused on eradicating poverty one community at a time.

“I’ve teamed up with We Care Foundation and Elite Pageant Company to execute some stationery drive and also donation of toys for the less fortunate,” he shared.

Continuing his work in the pageant arena, he someday hopes to walk the international stage.

“I’ll work towards that long term goal with hopes to inspire more young men to voice their interests and platform; to use the pageant medium to set standards for themselves and also to lead by example,” Paul said

As a young talent and persistent worker for self-growth, Paul encourages young people to try new things and gain experience in areas that will push them to be a better version of themselves.

“You can never know until you try,” Paul advised, adding: “Make mistakes and just try again. You don’t need to be perfect you only need to be consistent.”