Mr India SA 2019, Nikhyl Soorajbally has been taking Durban by storm with his passion for community and youth upliftment, while carrying out his duties as the reigning victor of the pageant. The Springfield Weekly Gazette spoke to Soorajbally to hear more about his life and passion.
Springfield Weekly Gazette (SWG): Apart from reigning as Mr India SA, what do you do for a living?
Nikhyl Soorajbally (NS): I graduated as a Civil Engineer (BScEng) from UKZN in 2018, and I am currently pursuing my Masters degree in Fluid Mechanics. I am also a part time private tutor in Mathematics and Physical Sciences.
SWG: Was this something you’ve always had a passion for?
NS: I’ve always wanted to become a Civil Engineer, ever since I was a little boy. Buildings and other structures have always fascinated me. Over the years my passion for the technical aspects involving designing a structure grew stronger. I have now achieved my life long goal.
SWG: What was the thought process behind entering Mr India SA?
NS: I noticed that the youth of our current generation are lacking leaders and role models whom they can look up to. We often become lost in the many issues that plague our society, therefore youngsters need someone who they can try to emulate. Therefore, I chose to enter the Mr India South Africa as a platform to grow global leaders.
SWG: What are your duties as Mr India SA?
NS: My main duties are to involve myself in community upliftment initiatives, youth development programmes as well as charity events in my community and the other parts of Durban. People often confuse Mr India South Africa as being just a beauty pageant, but it is far from it. It is a business driven competition that grooms gentlemen so that they grow into global leaders and businessmen.
SWG: Are you currently involved in any community projects?
NS: I was recently part of the Career Day talk at my old high school in Pietermaritzburg. This formed part of my youth development strategy. I am also actively involved in many child and youth care centres around Durban, such as the Lakehaven Home for Children and the Malvern Children’s Home. My aim is to create awareness and get more people involved in these initiatives.
SWG: What is your favourite quote?
NS: My favourite quote is by Erma Bombeck, ‘When I stand before God at the end of life, I would hope to not have a single bit of talent left, and I could say, I used everything you gave me.’
SWG: If you could be the president for a day, what would be the most impactful change that you would make for the betterment of the country?
NS: I prefer not to involve myself in politics, but one change I would make is to obviously weed out corruption that has become very prevalent in our government.
SWG: What are you reading presently?
NS: I read a lot of research articles and journals that pertain to my current studies. I know it sounds boring, but its part of my work so I can’t escape it. Therefore, in my free time I prefer to be away from the books and just watch TV.
SWG: How do you juggle your career and your duties as Mr India SA?
NS: Time management is everything. There is always enough time in the day to complete the tasks you have set out for yourself. Discipline is the most important aspect and that’s how I juggle my responsibilities between my career and Mr India South Africa.
SWG: Your favourite holiday destination?
NS: Due to the coronavirus, I prefer to stay at home. Just kidding. My favorite holiday destination would have to be New York, mainly because of the rich history and culture, but also because of the magnificent sky scrapers and other structural marvels. This really gets my engineering juices flowing.
SWG: Your favourite movie?
NS: I’m a romantic guy, so there are many movies that I love. Ones that stand out the most are ‘The Vow’ and ‘The Proposal’.
SWG: What do you prefer doing in your leisure time?
NS: I love spending time with friends and family.
My main hobby is also bodybuilding, so a lot of time is spent in the gym. There are also often times when I prefer to sit back and relax and just enjoy a movie.
SWG: Tastiest dish ever?
NS: That’s tough because I love food. Tastiest dish would either be spicy chicken livers or chicken tikka masala and butter naan.
SWG: What are the qualities, you believe, a leader should have to accurately fulfill their duties?
NS: A leader needs to command the room when he or she enters it. Besides being an intellect, they also need to be a social intellect, meaning they have to understand social dynamics and be able to interact and network with others. They need to be a role model and a team player.
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