Srishti Vyakaranam on Mental Health and Body Postivity

Being a strong personality Srishti Vyakaranam has come out stronger after facing hurdles in her life. Srishti's love and passion for modeling have evolved over the years. The Hyderabad model won the title of Femina Miss India Andhra Pradesh in 2017. She also represented India at Miss Asia Pacific International in 2016. Srishti's strong-headed personality is inspiring to all. So, let us have look at what she had to tell us.

Srishti was a software developer before getting into the modeling field. She told, her friends always motivated her to get into the industry. So, she went ahead and gave the auditions for Model Hunt. Elaborating on that she says,

"I wasn't expeting it to win but I was the second runner up there. So, from there my journey started and I realised my passion lies in being on stage and being infront of the camera."

Srishti comes from a conservative family and managed to convince her parents to switch her career from a 9-5 job to modeling. Earlier she did modeling assignments only on weekends. But when it came to switching her career path, she says,

"First my mom got to know about it. And, my mom told me not to tell my dad. Then when I tried to tell him I want to get into modeling he told me- beta chahiye to saturday sunday kro, job mat chodhna (If you want, to do it on Saturday and Sunday but don't quit your job). They always think about my security and don't know anything about acting or modeling. They were always scared. A stable job is something that all the parents look out for.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Srishti Vyakaranam (@srishtivyakaranam)

Srishti told that her father started supporting her gradually. Also, in her entire journey, she is very grateful to her brother who stood like a pillar to support his sister.  Sharing one such incident, Srishti says,

"When I went back home after a very long time, I got a call from Miss India. They told me that there is an application where if a person gets maximum votes from the particular city, they will be allowed for the next zonal. There were around 4-5 girls who were participating. So, when I told my parents, my dad was super enthusiastic, he tried to get as many votes as he could. Both my parents are principals so they spoke to all the teachers, students, and everyone. Therefore, I got the maximum votes from my city.

The biggest point was that I had to wear a bikini for my audition. And, I have never worn a bikini in my life. I thought that it would be difficult to convince my dad, saying that I have to wear a bikini, but it became difficult to convince my mother. My dad was like, it is fine, it is just for an audition right. It's just a requirement which you have to do for the pageant and trying to see how comfortable ae you are in your skin.

Sharing her views on all the societal norms on how a model should look. Srishti said there are always certain norms that you have to look a certain way. If we talk about today's scenario things have changed and people are accepting themselves the way they are.

"In the pageants, there is a different norm altogether. When it comes to modeling it is completely opposite. But now society has changed where people are accepting all kinds of models irrespective of their shape, size, and color. That has made fashion evolve.

Now normal people around can actually see themselves wear those clothes. Initially, they were like yeh to models ke pehenne ke kapde hain (these clothes are just meant for models.) Now because of the acceptance of people. I think people are also accepting the fact that they can look good in everything they wear. In a way this is boosting people's confidence. Also, they are coming out from their nutshell.

When asked about social media's role in reinforcing societal norms of gender equality and body positivity. Srishti said that these days there are people who are inspiring other people to spread body positivity. There are norms about what a girl and a boy should do.

"There are so many friends of mine who are into body positivity and so many other things which inspire other people."

Talking about dealing with rejections in life, Srishti told when she went back from an international pageant to a national pageant, it started from the beginning.

"I have been rejected before that as well as after that. So you give a lot of auditions for acting but still you are unsure whether you will get through or not. So acceptance of rejections is the best thing you can do to yourself. When I came back from international to a national pageant hoping that I will get into top three, I did not. That was like a major heartbreak for me. Because I did not have a plan B after that. I was in space where I did not understand what to do next in life."

Apart from modeling Srishti loves dancing and in her free time indulges herself in painting. She likes to write as well which she named Grey Thoughts. Explaining what grey thoughts mean,

"It is something really close to my heart and I write it for myself. I call it so because, there is nothing like black or white according to me. It is always grey. So its how all about, how you percieve it, if you take it as black it will be black for you and if you want to perceive it as white it will be white. So, I am in grey space right now"

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Srishti Vyakaranam (@srishtivyakaranam)

Srishti is associated with spreading awareness about mental health as she also dealt with mental health issues at a certain point in her life.

"I believe in mental health and being strong. We all go through anxiety and we all go through stress but how we come out of it is in our hands. So that is the social cause I strongly believe in. Most of us do not take a stand for everything which is not required. But thanks to COVID people have realised that mental health is important.

When asked about how she would like to take the cause of mental health in the future, Srishti told that she is doing her Masters in Psychology as she wants to become a therapist. Also, during the lockdown, she learned hypnosis.

"I want to help people out with hypnotherapy and that is why I am doing MA in Psychology right now."

Srishti expressed her desire to work with famous well-known designer Sabyasachi in the future.

Read: “I Love My Brown Skin”, Sangeeta Gharu