Gone are the days when beauty queens were airheads who just ‘wanted world peace’.
Roodekrans resident, 20-year-old Sherianne Pillay who was crowned Miss India Gauteng in March, has it all – beauty, brains and a real social conscience.
Sherianne who is a third year law student at the University of the Witwatersrand was chosen out of 14 contestants to walk away with this sought after title. What makes her achievement so much more special is the fact that it was the first pageant she has ever entered.
During the question and answer section of the contest she was asked a question which coincidentally is a matter close to her hart, “What is the strength of a woman?”.
According to Sherianne a woman’s strength lies in her ability to use a setback to make a greater comeback.
“Just as a woman gives physical life, she also has the ability to symbolically give life in ‘dead’ situations, whether it is in business, as a mother, a spouse or in her church life,” said the wise young woman.
She said she also wants to use her title as a platform to inspire and mould the youth, especially young girls. On her blog, Cherie Chiq, she does not only discuss fashion and beauty for young woman but also address serious issues such as breast cancer and HIV.
In the little free time she has between her studies and her hectic diary she loves socialising with friends, watching Liverpool play and is passionate about Bollywood dancing.
“And I love shopping,” she laughed.
Her favourite food is her mother’s chicken curry and over and above her charity commitments she is very involved in her church and its outreach programmes.
Later this year she will take part in the Miss India National pageant and should she win she will be going to New York for the Miss India Worldwide pageant.
Her advice to young woman?
“Believe in yourself so others can believe in you. There are so many opportunities to seize out there but the youth has become lazy. Technology and social media has made us lazy. They should identify the opportunities available to them and be pro-active.”
