Munni Begum/Guwahati

The sky is the limit for a determined young woman from Nazira, a small town in eastern Assam, who dreams of walking every ramp of the Indian metro cities and donning the Miss India crown. She is Syeda Ajhara Jannat Sultana, a first-semester student of English literature at Gargaon College. Ajhara, 19, has won titles in various beauty pageants.

Speaking to Awaz-the Voice, Syeda Ajhara Jannat Sultana says, "I am very interested in the fashion world. Watching beauty pageants, the idea of modeling took birth in my brain. But, I never thought that I’ll walk the ramp one day. I was in Class VIII when I first took part in a beauty pageant organized on the occasion of a festival in Nazira. Journalist Pradip Hazarika helped me participate in it. Although I could not win the contest, I gained experience.”

Ajhara has been managing her studies as well as modeling well. She wanted to establish herself as a highly educated young woman as well as a model and actress. "Everyone needs practice and perseverance to be successful in the present challenging times."

About her successful career, Ajhara said, "the Cultural Convention of Assam has awarded me the state title for modeling. I also finished among the top six in DY Calendar Girls 2022 and I am featured in the calendar. Besides, featuring an advertisement of Mi brand product, I have also won the Well Grooming title in the Heritage Assam beauty pageant. Apart from walking the ramp in East India Fashion Week, I also got the opportunity to represent Assam in the Sunsilk Mega Miss North East beauty pageant. I have also won the Miss Sivasagar, Miss Dikhow 2018, and other titles."

Syeda Ajhara Jannat Sultana

The young women of the Muslim community who are interested in fashion should take the opportunity to overcome the so-called barriers of society and try to establish themselves, she added.

"Although my family has been supporting me, as a girl from the Muslim community, I have faced some obstacles. The family support is a courage that has been the driving force behind my success in realizing my dreams,” Ajhara said.

"I can see a lot of youth in our society, especially young Muslim women, who are very interested in fashion. However, they often face hurdles of the so-called social obligations. I believe the support of their families is very essential here so that those latent talents don’t go waste," Ajhara said.

Apart from performing to the tune of famous flutist Naveen Annan, a member of AR Rehman's band, Ajhara has recently acted in a song titled 'Akashiganga …' sung by Neel Bora. The song was choreographed by Sachin Barua and composed by Rafiqul Islam.

Ajahara, who thinks every path in life is a ramp, is presently focused on her plan to prepare for Miss India 2022 audition.