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I Am Beautiful, a short film that was sent as an entry by the students of Meridian School, Hyderabad won the first prize in the 14-18 age group at the Peace in the Streets Global Film Festival at the United Nations (UN), New York in 2016. "The message we wanted to put forth was that of self acceptance, and learning to be at peace with oneself and one’s appearance as a first step to a larger picture of peace and harmony globally,” says 18-year-old Tushna Baria recalling her filmmaking experience with her schoolmates.
 At a three-day workshop on filmmaking organized by the Chinh Foundation a few months before her Std XII  board exams, "we were very keen on doing something unconventional,” she says. To add to its appeal, "we incorporated both acting as well as animation. Over three days, we made well over 100 drawings, scanned and formatted them, wrote the script, planned and executed the acting and voiceover, and edited the content with sound and visual effects. It was a very special experience for me,” mentions Baria who was exposed to all aspects of filmmaking and had the privilege of acting and creating artworks for the animation.

 

 

 

 

 

The awards function at the Delegates’ Dining Room at the UN headquarters on October 28, 2016 was attended by UN dignitaries, sponsors and organizers of the Film Festival, and award winners from all over the world. "The entire trip was fun yet exhausting as we returned soon after the award ceremony at the UN, to give an end of semester college exam the following day. At the awards lunch function that lasted over three hours "we were all assigned seats and I had the privilege of being seated beside the former Under-Secretary General of the United Nations, Anwarul Karim Chowdhury, with whom I discussed a variety of topics. This was the highlight of my time spent at the UN.”
This was the third international award for Baria. Four years earlier she had won the silver medal at the Royal Commonwealth Essay Writing Competition. Having just turned 14 she had to compete in the senior category (14 to 18 years). The theme was "Opportunity through Enterprise” and the topic she selected was, "‘How enterprising,’ a voice said as I closed the door behind me.” Based in the Kashmir valley, her story "revolves around the tragic lives of two best friends, a Hindu and Muslim, one of whom is orphaned in an attack by terrorists. The story goes on to describe their times of hardship and how they make the most of their lives and grow up to be successful, productive citizens. That year, there were over 11,000 entries from students across 55 Commonwealth countries and territories, and from over 830 schools. A panel of over 70 judges evaluated the entries.
 Yet another international accolade came her way when as an 11th grade student at Meridian she went to Beijing in 2014 to participate in WEMUN, a Model United Nations conference that lasted four days. Although competing with delegates with an average experience of about 15 MUNs "I was awarded the Outstanding Delegate award” when deliberating on the "Situation in the Sahara.”
Currently an undergraduate student pursuing BA in psychology, English literature and political science from St Francis College, Hyderabad, Baria had completed her 12th standard in science from Meridian School. She took the CBSE class X board exam from Niraj International School, Hyderabad. Prior to that, she was a student of Gitanjali Devshala, also in Hyderabad. The youngster says, "Although I was born in Delhi, I have been brought up in Hyderabad and consider myself a ‘Hyderabadi.’” Whilst still exploring possibilities, after graduation she may study law or some other subject as she would "like to pursue what I am best at so as to contribute to society.”
Her family includes father Parvez who runs two businesses: production of non-vegetarian pickles well known as Baria Pickles; and a construction chemical company called Master Construction Solutions. Mother Shireen (née Sethna) is a practicing lawyer who has appeared in cases before the Supreme Court and various high courts. With over 30 years of experience, she runs a law firm called Vakils Associated in Hyderabad. Tushna views them as "a constant pillar of support, guidance and reassurance in my times of doubt. The values I hold today are all because of their mentoring, for which I am most grateful. None of my achievements would have been remotely possible if not for their encouragement and backing.”
She considers herself "lucky to have my paternal grandmother Mehroo, who lives with us…She is an outstanding cook and is great fun. Most of my holidays were spent with family in Delhi that included my maternal grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins… My late grandfather Lt Gen Adi Sethna was the Vice Chief of the Army, a dynamic, positive person and a born leader. He was president of the Delhi Parsi Anjuman and a director of the Parzor Foundation. My late grandmother, Khorshed, was a writer, artist and a voracious reader.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Besides spending time with the family, as an only child Tushna enjoys "reading and writing, working with organizations promoting animal welfare and social service, painting, drawing, learning musical instruments, Bharat Natyam dancing, swimming, meditating and spending time with my four dogs, three rescued strays and one cocker spaniel, Patchy (my navjote present from my parents).” Involved with The Beautiful World Movement, "an organization put together and run by a few students my age, we visit orphanages, blind schools, animal shelters, etc in order to contribute to these institutions in whatever little way we can. We organize and coordinate meets, fundraisers, marketing events, awareness campaigns and donation drives… I believe my most notable achievements have been nurturing an injured animal back to health or putting a smile on the face of a three-year-old visually handicapped child.”
 Brought up with Zoroastrian beliefs and customs, Tushna believes, "values of integrity, humility, compassion, respect for every living being have a lot to do with nature, all of which are a part of the Parsi and Mazdayasni way of life. I feel my upbringing has been a perfect, balanced blend of Parsipanu and an open-minded holistic approach… Zoroastrianism has given me a sense of identity, an insight and is the root of my spiritual journey. To me, Zoroastrianism is a faith of simple yet profound ways to make life a meaningful, graceful and joyous journey… The Parsi community is…very learned, enterprising, generous and fun loving. We love our food, music and animals and take a special interest in giving back to society with high quality work irrespective of the  profession or field one has taken up.”