Opening Doorz

By Martin D’Souza | Opening Doorz Editorial | August 13, 2020

Aaliya Sachar is not your regular 19-year-old. This 5ft 7inch girl from Chandigarh who is studying in Mumbai’s Sophia College is a keen learner, someone on the look out for opportunities and a person who smiles at every obstacle in her life.

Aaliya knows about obstacles; when she was just seven years old, she lost her father, all of a sudden. He was there one day and the next day he was gone, due to a heart attack. An only child, Aaliya had her mother to take care of her, and she made sure that her daughter never felt the loss of her father as she doubled her role at home. “I believe everything happens for a reason,” says Aalia about losing her Dad at an early age. “I have learnt to be independent. My fondest memories of my Dad are of Saturdays: I was allowed to eat junk food and watch TV the whole day,” she laughs reminiscing of those days.

Lockdown schedule…

Lockdown has seen some hectic activity from the girl who refuses to waste a single minute. At home since March, Aaliya has made the best of the time locked in. She first trained online with Cocoaberry Talent and Academy, before logging on to Dance Choreography and topping it with Anupam Kher’s Actor Prepares.

Speaking about how she stumbled upon Cocoaberry, Aaliya says, “I had been searching for a good pageant training institute based in Mumbai for a long time. After Suman Rao won the Miss World runners-up title, while researching, I came across Cocoaberry on Instagram,” she reveals. The first month of lockdown saw her train with Alesia and Anjali Raut.

As for Dance Choreography online, she adds: “I’m learning dance. I have been learning kathak for the last eight years. I am also learning western style: contemporary, jazz and hip-hop… a mix of free style. I also like to choreograph on my own.”

Last on the list was Actor Prepares. “I started Anupam Kher’s acting classes online. We had classes Monday to Friday. It was a really good workshop where we had a lot of constructive criticism. There were regular assignments, videos to film. I was really pushed out of my comfort zone and learnt a lot,” says the girl with the sultry Catherine Zeta-Jones like look.  And the best thing she took home from Actor Prepares? “Imagination and visual construction; how to behave naturally whist acting, not to appear stiff or appear trying hard,” she quips.

Online lectures and Beauty Pageants…

At the moment, Aaliya is a little upset because she has not met her friends in the longest time. Concession is that they can see each other online, as their lectures have begun. “Our teachers are trying hard to teach online. It’s more research-based now, not the ideal situation as there are 200 students together. In a class, physically, we are around a 100 students. Every student’s query is answered. We are able to grasp what is being taught. Everyone is trying to understand the online education system,” she says.

Currently doing her Second Year BA in Psychology, Philosophy and Sociology, Aaliya is of the opinion that Mumbai has something for everyone in terms of opportunities, vis-a-vis life in Chandigarh. She has applied for Miss India and Miss Teen Diva. “Since I’m only 19, I wish to participate in as many pageants as I can, to provide myself with experience,” says the self-confessed fast learner who is very observant and gives her 100 per cent in all that she does.

Throwing light on her understanding of Pageants, Aaliya says, “Pageants provide us with a platform that gives us courage, a voice along with a chance to give back to society. Through this platform I would like to focus on education and support people battling domestic violence. I want to help them become self-reliant and independent. I truly believe with kindness and acceptance we can make this world a better place.”

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