Winner Saroni Roy to campaign to ‘Train the Boys’
Sydney, April 23: Indian origin Australian Actor & Model, Saroni Roy, was awarded the India Australia Goodwill Ambassador 2018 at the India Australia-Touch the Soul 2018, a star-studded beauty pageant.
The award was presented to Ms Roy by Miss Lebanon Australia 2016, Mary Mehajer, for her contribution to the society and her endeavours towards making a real difference in the world.
Panel of judges included Bollywood superstar Dia Mirza. Ms Mirza has been Miss Asia Pacific 2000 and UN Environment Goodwill Ambassador.
She was joined by other eminent personalities including Bipin Sharma and Craig Kelly MP.
“It was my dream to represent India on a global platform, and the Mrs India Australia-Touch the Soul gave me the perfect stage to do that.
“The Goodwill Ambassador 2018 title, will give me an opportunity to showcase the true essence of the ‘Global Indian Woman’ of today, who’s breaking all myths and conventions, changing the way the world perceives her,” Ms Roy said after winning the India Australia Goodwill Ambassador 2018.
Ms Roy is a cancer survivor and she approached the competition “with determination and courage”. She believes that such an approach is the key to being victorious against all odds.
In the past she has worked
for International social campaigns and NGOs like India Unites for Animals (IUFA), the worldwide issue of whale hunting, Cure Brain Cancer Foundation, Beyond Blue and several others.
Ms Roy now intends to campaign for:
- Body Positive – to fight against body shaming and cyber bullying on social media.
As a cancer survivor, she lost “my thyroid gland, my lustrous hair, my skin, my metabolism… but I fought and accepted and cherished my second life.
“I would like to encourage more people to accept themselves the way they are, celebrate and cherish their ageing and body changes…”
- Train the Boys – a fight against domestic violence and crime against women.
“We often talk about training our girls in martial arts, carry pepper spray, make them physically stronger and various other defence mechanisms” to protect themselves.
“To tackle the root of this issue, we need to raise better men who respect men, women and everyone.
“The boy child needs more guidance and good parenting to get a strong value system from an early age… Only when we raise better men, can we create a safer world for our girls”.
The annual event is organised by Miss India Australia Corporation.
Reena Koak, National Director said that the purpose of the Miss India Australia Corporation is to give men and women the opportunity to come together in a pageant setting regardless of their background and “build a team who… leave a positive impact in the Indo-Australian community”.
-Vir Rajendra