Rajeswarry A/P Chandran @ Jeszy from Kluang, Johor won the Miss Progress Malaysia 2021 title in the pageant final which was held online in response to the movement control order (MCO) due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Originating from an Indian family, Rajeswarry is fluent in three languages, including English, Malay and Tamil. She is 170cm (5′ 7″) tall and works as a senior project manager. The JPA scholar earned a Bachelor of Communication at the University Putra Malaysia in 2017.
“I feel happy and satisfied with my achievement. I’ve never participated in beauty pageants before and I won.
“I would use the title to reach wider audience to spread awareness on women empowerment,” said the 27-year-old Rajeswarry.
Rajeswarry will go on to represent Malaysia to the Miss Progress International competition in Puglia, Italy in 2022.
The first runner up is 24-year-old data processor Sunoshini Danabalan from Negeri Sembilan while 32-year-old CRM executive Nurain Binti Hasan from Selangor is the second runner.
Sales consultant Siti Aminah Bt Norrani, 28, from Kuala Lumpur and teacher Ong Siao Teng, 21, from Selangor became third runner-up and fourth runner-up respectively.
Rajeswarry described the win as a great achievement for her and her advocacy which centred on body shaming and self-acceptance.
“I would say this is one of my proudest achievements and I dedicate this success to all the girls out there who are facing body shaming. I am a victim of body shaming. I have managed to overcome it. I have proved to the girls that the only thing you should worry is about being healthy instead of fitting into the beauty standards set by the society.”
Rajeswarry said she got involved in the pageant because she felt the need to prove her self-worth.
“Coming from a conservative Indian family, I’m the only child who always feel that I don’t fit in there. I do things as how I want as long as I know what I am doing. I always wonder why does every Indian girl has to face a lot of struggles; from what subjects they have to study to what garments they have to wear. I often feel that I don’t get myself to speak up and stand for my rights. Even in my former relationship partner, I was not allowed to enter beauty pageant by his family.
“Apart from all that, I’ve been shamed for the way my body looks when I was in high school. Worst thing happened when I came to KL and there was this girl who skinny-shamed me. I’ve been cyber bullied by her as well. I was under depression thinking about what’s wrong with my body.
“This is a real turning point of my life. I decided not to give up and prove myself. I went for the audition for Miss Progress Malaysia and got selected as a finalist. Beauty pageant has been always a platform to empower women and I know here is the platform where I can voice out. I will have wide audience.”
Rajeswarry finds the virtual format of the pageant challenging as it was a new experience and a steep learning curve for contestants who competed in live-streamed speaking.
“Virtual selection has its own obstacles. I was so afraid that my internet connection will get disrupted because of the place I am staying. And also, judges can’t really see my body language and my catwalk properly. However, all went well overall.”
Rajeswarry says the positive attributes that people have are what make a person beautiful.
“Beauty is in the eye of beholder. To me, beauty isn’t a thing, or even a person, but a feeling that comes from your soul. Beauty in a person is not just external appearance, but also interior strength. Beauty goes deeper than the surface.
“If you ask me who is the most beautiful person in this world, I would say Mother Theresa. Mother Teresa sacrificed her life, cared for the poorest of the poor, fed them and cared for them.”
Rajeswarry is excited as she will be representing Malaysia at the Miss Progress International pageant finals in Italy next year. There will be no rest for her as she prepares for the world finals.
“To complete in international level especially for a girl like me with zero experience in pageant will be a hard journey. I really need to work hard and put in more effort. I’m preparing myself on few aspects mainly mentally and physically. I’m doing my homework and getting some advice from time to time for my catwalk and advocacy from a few title winners.”
When asked about her aspiration, the pageant winner said, “My aspiration is to tell the world: ‘Being a woman is not a weakness. You set a goal and work towards it. Never put another woman down’.”
Rajeswarry loves dancing. She is a practitioner of Indian classical dance Bharatanatyam, and also enjoys spending a couple of hours art journaling which helps her mind and body to relax.
The national director of Miss Progress Malaysia, Ram Saiji, said all the winners were selected through a comprehensive panel interview taken place online through a video platform.
Ram said he had to carry on the show despite the difficulties and challenges due to current lockdown restrictions brought by the pandemic.
“We are adjusting ourselves from a physical event to a virtual one and keeping spirits high despite the current circumstances. The show must go on.
“The crowning ceremony and appreciation night will be held after the MCO is lifted with strict adherence to standard operating procedure (SOP),” added Ram.
Organized by Sun Production, the pageant attracted 65 applications with contestants ranged in age from 18 – 32 and from diverse backgrounds, and were narrowed down to last 15.
Ram thanked the contestants for their full commitment and to everybody for their unflagging support and contributions in making Miss Progress Malaysia pageant a success.
The final five were selected by an all-female judges who included Miss Malaysia World 2015 Melinda Lee, Miss Rainbow Malaysia 2018 Abeeramesswari, former model and catwalk coach Yumiko, Miss Progress India 2019 Saishaa Chauhan and Miss Malaysia Earth 2008 Audrey Ng.
Among the sponsors and partners for the Miss Progress Malaysia 2021 pageant were Nova BB Glow, Bellissima2u, bookd, Nottingheels, i Vision Specialist, D’Azie Aga makeup artist, Araff Meer, Faridz Salleh, Amaratpal Donnie, Zuraidah Said Creation, Photographyumiko, Mazacane and Bkaynair Resources.
