Gorgeous gowns, beautiful people and stunning crowns – the fairy-tale magic that beauty pageants hold is matchless, like the Miss Asia Pacific International pageant. The prestigious title and tiara has adorned divas like Zeenat Aman, Tara Fonseca and Dia Mirza; and this time round, Srishti Vyakaranam, hopes to make a splash at its resurrection.
Technically, she is an engineer, with a propensity toward modelling. In fact, Srishti Vyakaranam indulged in her passion and dabbled in modelling only on weekends. She also has a close connect with Vizag. With her father’s side of the family hailing from the city, she shares that the six years she spent here were the best in her life, before work took her to Hyderabad. The memories she made at the GITAM’s cultural club ‘Kalakriti’ are ones she’ll cherish for a lifetime.
Explaining the shift from engineering to modelling she shares that while she was working for a corporate house in Hyderabad, modelling was not on her radar. Added to that was the fact that she comes from a family filled with engineers, making modelling really not-viable. It was a friend who suggested and encouraged Srishti. Appreciating her height and personality, her friend urged her to audition in a model hunt. A trained Bharatnatyam dancer, the stage was not alien to her. And though she was adjudged the second runner-up, she realised that she did have the potential and passion for making it big in the modelling world. Soon after this, Srishti would model on weekends and enjoyed it a lot. “Back then, my family hoped that my weekends of having fun modelling were just that, not something I hoped to make a career out of.”
One thing led to another, and her long-term agenda of pursuing MS abroad was scuttled when fate intervened and she was selected for Miss Diva. It was then that her father acknowledged the zeal for modelling he could see in his daughter. “My parents have been a tremendous support system, without them I couldn’t have made it this far,” she says.
Talking about the learning experience that Miss Diva was, she says, “Being mentored by Lara Dutta has been the best experience so far, I really can’t put it in words because being trained by someone so experienced is a boon. She would interact with us personally every day and teach us the dos and don’ts. It gave me the confidence I needed to pursue this career or even live life to its fullest in general. Lara Dutta has an aura I aspire to have someday. If I hadn’t competed in Miss Diva, I wouldn’t have been who I am today or even be where I am today.”
After that, modelling offers poured in for the Vizag lass. So much so that she can boast of modelling for Shantanu and Nikhil, and walking the ramp for Divya Seth in her portfolio. When asked about the misconception people have about the fashion and beauty industry, she says, “The definition of beauty has changed now. People no longer consider size zero to be the requisite. We have so many plus size models in the industry now, it shows that being fit is important, irrespective of your size.”
While Vizag is well on its way to becoming a smart city, it still can’t seem to shake off the tag of being a ‘small town’. Talking about it she says, “I love Vizag and I hope it never changes. The city has high potential; it holds a lot of untapped talent. Many people from Vizag have made it big, Sobitha Dhulipala is a great example of that. She has proved that it’s not about how people perceive you; it doesn’t matter if you’re from a small town or big. It’s about realising your dreams and working for them. It doesn’t matter where you come from, when you have passion.”
When asked about her future plans, Srishti doesn’t think twice, “While my foremost aim is to win the crown at Miss Asia Pacific International and make my mark as a representative of our country, I would love to try my hand at acting. Being a Telugu person, I would prefer to work in Tollywood.” The fact that she always enjoyed being on stage only benefits her goal.
Her message to budding models
“Dare to dream and dream to achieve. If you don’t dream big, you cannot achieve what you want. Always dream big and work towards it. Even if your parents don’t agree to your dreams, eventually they will be supportive once they realise your potential. I’m a living example of that.”
Rapid Fire
If not modelling: MS in the US and a 9-5 job.
Hobbies: Painting, singing and dancing.
Inspirations: Priyanka Chopra, Sushmita Sen, Lara Dutta.
I love to gorge on: Mexican food
Beauty secret: Loads and loads of sleep!
Vacation go-to: Manali or Leh
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