The Dreams of Wonder, Editorial Interview with Aafreen Vaz
Aafreen Vaz is a Miss India, Miss Asia Supranational, a very talented actress and a graduating Medical Student. Although originally from India, she has lived a large part of her life in New Zealand. We had a chance to do an amazing resort wear editorial with her, and I even got to know her better in the process. Here's the short fashion film we made with her and her full interview-
Sukiran- Tell us a little bit about Aafreen. The person, the history, the identity and the soul.
Aafreen- I am a simple girl who loves life and the little things that mean a lot. I like to surround myself with positive energy and happy people and believe passionately in hard work and also spontaneity.
Being born Indian and bought up Kiwi was the best thing that has ever happened to me as it taught me the best of both worlds, literally.
People are the most important thing to me and I choose to keep my special ones close.
S- Tell us about a dream you want to accomplish in your lifetime. It could be anything…passion, career, accolades, helping someone…be honest.
A- I have many dreams. I want to be a psychiatrist; a refreshing, honest and excellent psychiatrist. I also enjoy performance arts and would love to get into movies.
Helping people isn’t a dream, it’s a duty. My dad is an ex-army man and my brother and I, following his footsteps, actively help the underprivileged and ill-treated animals.
S- What is your perception of beauty? No pageant answers, straight from the soul.
A- If a stranger finds themselves sharing more than they are comfortable with you and can’t help getting drawn to your aura, well then you are beautiful. It’s neither just the exterior nor the interior it’s the correct combination of both, and yes, it does lie in the eyes of the beholder.
S- We have seen the rounds of Miss India 15’. Why do you think you took the second spot when clearly you excelled in everything? I mean your looked ‘naturally’ beautiful and your confidence was top notch.
A- Well, the second spot was the best I could do, even if I got the highest score I would still be second.
I went in aiming for the second spot.
Why? Because I am a New Zealand Passport holder and the winner must have an Indian Passport. (Fair enough)
S- What do you think, in present time, natural is better or a sculpted canvas? (Quickie) (Is it the competition pushing the women to follow this path? And would you ever follow extreme measures?)
A- There are natural ways to look the best version of yourself and though it’s the harder way, it’s definitely sexier and more relatable than surgically sculpted canvas.
I had the opportunity to opt for these "extreme measures" as a Miss India and I chose not to.
S- What is competition according to you?
A- A driving force to bring out the best in you.
S- Have you faced any hard-hitting facts in your career and how do you deal with the competition in everyday life?
A- Well, politics are the most unnecessary element in both the medical and the glamour front. I really wish everything was gained by merit and not by who knows who. An outsider and fresher like me automatically has to climb from the lowest rung of the ladder and this is the hard part. However, this means you get the chance to meet more people (the good and bad) and automatically you learn a lot more.
S- So, you won an acclaimed title of Miss Asia at Miss Supranational, what was the reaction of the peers when you returned home from the event? (Keeping in mind that not everyone sees eye to eye in these competitive events.)
A- Well, I think my peers were worried if I'd be the same after a year of living a completely different life. After winning the international title I think this worry only grew. They just wanted Aafu home and not Miss India or Miss Asia and Oceania and when they saw that nothing had changed from my end then, rejoicing with me for my achievement came naturally.
S- As we know you are at a conjunction in your career. Are you really going to pursue the other career option, in psychiatry?
A- I don’t see why I can’t do both, sure I may graduate later than the rest of my batch mates and perhaps not be around for as many after parties but that’s okay. If I can be a star performer and an ace doctor later in life, why not!
S- Do you think you are a representation of Modern Indian? If yes, how?
A- Absolutely, because I think there is space for everyone at the finish line and that everyone has their own journey. It’s about living your life and not getting caught up in the convention of societal norms.
For example, it is highly unusual for an undergrad med student to go off and become a Miss India pageant. I was the first to do this and though my college was extremely supportive, not everyone was happy about me losing a year in the process. To me however losing one year to life to live to my maximum potential is an easy sacrifice.
S- If you had power to change one thing that would help the society, what would it be? (I know its pageant(y), but we really want to know.)
A- I would like to eliminate discrimination. Ours is a country with diversity in every aspect of life - be it caste, culture, food, belief, language, dressing sense, or the works! But sadly, instead of celebrating this, we tend to use these as an ammunition to discriminate against one another.
Indians live in more peace with each other in New Zealand than they do in India and that is really sad. We are all Indians, the rest is just whatever.
S- We know you are really young, but any regrets in Life till now you want to share?
A- None!
S- Where do we see Aafreen Vaz in next 10 years?
A- A star performer and an ace psychiatrist in the making!
