The 18-year-old freshly crowned Miss Teen International Princess, Sweezal Maria Furtado has a simple strategy in life: when the sun shines, make hay. This teen beauty queen from Bengaluru wants to make use of this year fully and participate in as many teen pageantries as possible before she bids goodbye to "teendom". However, she has also mentioned that whenever she will be finally ready, she wants to compete in the Miss India contest. Instant fame is one of the obvious motivations. But Sweezal said she has a big motive. According to her, when the spotlight is on a beauty queen, the cause that she believes in also gets pushed into the limelight.
Sweezal said that she has an achievable dream. "I want to start conversations around two things that I believe in most. I want every child born in this world to have a childhood worth cherishing and I also want a world where parents are not cast aside in their old age because the children are busy chasing money. It is not okay that one is too busy to spend some time with parents. Come on, by that logic, the parents were busy making a living or a career too when they were young, but they still found time to take care of children," she added.
The teen beauty is a native of picturesque Barkur town in Udupi district. She said that her family is key to her success and she is the first in the family to venture in this line. Her mother funded her training to become a beauty queen. Sweezal's mother was extremely supportive throughout her journey. Sweezal's efforts paid off. She was crowned the 'Fresh Face of Ignite India 2021' in the India Meraki Fashion Competition held in Bengaluru in February 2021. She went on to become the second runner-up in ‘Miss Supermodel India 2022' in New Delhi.
She said that she did not become a Cinderella overnight. "Winning pageantry is not just about looking beautiful. It is about how one presents oneself. A winner is not decided just on the finale. For instance, in Peru, we were constantly watched for the five days that we were there to see how we behave in any given circumstance. I put in a lot of hard work. Not only did I spend all my free time perfecting my walk, my posture and my sense of fashion, but I also prepared myself mentally to face the questions that are thrown at us at all times when we are competing,” said Sweezal.
Sweezal is enrolled in a BBA programme at St Joseph's College of Commerce in Bengaluru; however, she is so focused on her work that she has to let her studies take a backseat for now. Although, she has mentioned that she wants to complete her studies.
About doing a movie in Bollywood she said that if it's a meaningful and powerful story then she will certainly go for it. But otherwise, she will take the pageantry route to achieve her goals. "It really brings me joy to walk the ramp, and wear that crown," added Sweezal.
(Reports from PTI)
