Photo: Clash Donerrin
Cover Photo: Clash Donerrin

The 25-year-old doctor was crowned Miss World Malaysia out of 38 other finalists in a virtual ceremony on October 16

Meet Dr Lavanya Sivaji, the Selangor native with a heart of gold who recently earned the coveted title of Miss World Malaysia this month. In December, she will go on to represent Malaysia in the Miss World 2021 finals in Puerto Rico. Read on to know more fun facts about this doe-eyed beauty, who was also named the winner of the pageant's Head To Head Challenge Award.

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She recently graduated from medical school

Beauty pageants, social causes and community volunteering: we marvel at how well this young doctor juggles it all. After graduating from Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia, Sivaji completed her training at Hospital Angkatan Tentera Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin. Last month, she also participated in a health initiative by NGO Doctors On Ground, where she conducted health checkups on Rohingya refugees in Selayang. 

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She is an outspoken advocate for Orang Asli rights

Aside from using her platform to spread awareness about the most presing medical issues faced by Orang Asli communities, Sivaji also founded 4Them Malaysia, an organisation devoted to tackling health issues in Malaysia's indigenous communities. In a mission to empower artisans in the Mah Meri Orang Asli tribe in Pulau Carey, Sivaji's latest initiative under 4Them includes online sales of hand-printed leaf motif T-shirts made by the villagers.

Fun fact: one of Sivaji's Miss World Malaysia costumes (pictured above) was inspired by the traditional attire of Mah Meri tribe.

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She would avoid wearing heels in the past because of her height

In a candid #TallGirlProblems Instagram post in 2019 during her participation in the Miss Malaysia Indian Global pageant, Sivaji talked about how she never had the courage to don heels to avoid drawing attention to her height. Despite having just two months to practise walking with heels and feeling self-conscious in the process, she nailed her runway walk at the competition, where she was named 4th runner up.

Related: 3 Brave Women On Building An Inclusive Future In Malaysia 

Despite placing among the Top 40 in the 2019 Miss World competition, Malaysia has yet to win the Miss World crown – though former contestant Lina Teoh came close as 2nd runner up in 1998. Will Dr Lavanya Sivaji be the first one to clinch the title for the country this December? Follow her Miss World journey on Instagram to find out. 

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