VENUS RAJ:

A  Rajini from Venus

If names have power, Maria Venus Bayonito Raj’s a composite of forces that almost exactly animates her now universally known physical beauty and spiritual grace.

Etymological fans and punsters – even astrological buffs – would find, like most beauty pageant enthusiasts, a lot to talk about the most recent Filipina beauty titlist. Go figure.

“Venus means “love” and “sexual desire” in Latin, and has connections to venerari (to honour, to try to please) and venia (grace, favour) through a possible common root in an Indo-European wenes, comparable to Sanskrit vanas for “lust,desire.”

“Venus’s name might embody the function of honours and gifts to the divine when seeking their favours: such acts can be interpreted as the enticement, seduction or charm of gods by mortals. The ambivalence of this function is suggested in the etymological relationship of the root venes with Latin venenum (poison, venom), in the sense of “a charm, magic philter.”

“Due to her early association with Aphrodite in the interpretatio graeca, it is hard to establish what characteristics the natively Italic Venus may have had. Ushas is linked to Venus by a Vedic Sanskrit epithet ascribed to her, vanas (female) loveliness; longing, desire”, which is cognate with Latin Venus (wen, to desire).”

“Venus was known to ancient civilizations both as the “morning star” and as the “evening star”, names that reflect the early understanding that these were two separate objects. It is classified as a terrestrial planet and it is sometimes called Earth’s “sister planet” due to similar size, gravity and bulk composition.”

“Raj is an ethnic group found in the Philippines known by their mix of Indians and Filipinos.”
“Rajini is female form of Raj.”

“Raj or Rajini as a name means: You have a very individual, reserved, serious nature; You prefer to be alone with your own thoughts, rather than in the company of others; Your name either restricts or enhances spontaneity in association and the fluency of your verbal expression; When you are required to express yourself in personal matters requiring finesse ad diplomacy, you feel awkward and embarrassed; Although you realize perfectly well what is expected of you, you are unable to find the right words, and hence you end up saying something inappropriate in a candid way; You can express your deeper thoughts and feelings best through writing; While your name creates the urge to be creative, independent and original, it limits also your self-expression and friendly congeniality with a tendency to be moody.”

Her story according to Wikipedia
Maria Venus Raj was born (July 7, 1988) to an Indian father and a Filipina mother. Raj was taken by her mother to Bato, Camarines Sur in Bicol Region, Philippines as an infant and was registered by an aunt as a Philippine-born child to Roman Catholic parents. Raj grew up with her mother, a former tenant farmer and dressmaker who brought Maria Venus Raj up as a child.

Raj lived in a nipa hut made of wood, bamboo and anahaw leaves with no electricity in the middle of a sprawling rice field in the rural Bato town for more than twenty years. She allegedly used rice paddy dikes for her early training where she eventually developed her distinct catwalk.
The youngest among five children, Maria Venus Raj started joining local beauty pageants. She also joined oratorical contests at San Vicente High School where her English teacher served as her coach. With her victories in major contests, Venus Raj had started to buy land on installment basis for her mother as a means of improving their livelihood.

Raj obtained her Diploma in Communications Arts, major in Journalism, at Bicol University in Albay, with Latin honors (Cum Laude). She graduated through the scholarship that she received from the Francis Papica Foundation. Back in the Philippines, she works as an Information Assistant for the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Region V. In addition to this, she also works as a part-time fashion model in her native Bicol and Manila.

Following her victory as Miss Bicolandia 2007, Raj represented Legazpi Cityand competed in the Miss Philippines-Earth 2008, and was named as Miss Philippines Earth Eco Tourism 2008, and fourth runner-up to eventual Miss Earth 2008 winner Karla Henry on May 11, 2008 at the Crowne Plaza Galleria, Manila.

After joining Miss Philippines-Earth in 2008, Raj took a break from beauty contests and worked as an Information Assistant at the regional office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. In 2010, Raj screened for the Binibining Pilipinas beauty pageant and made it to the official list of candidates. On March 6, 2010, she was crowned Binibining Pilipinas Universe during the pageant’s Grand Coronation Night at the Araneta Coliseum. She won the right to represent the Philippines in the 2010 Miss Universe pageant in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. She also won the special awards Best in Long Gown, Best in Philippine Terno, and was a co-winner for Miss Friendship - a rare feat for a major title winner.

A few weeks after her coronation, Raj was dethroned by Binibining Pilipinas Charities, Inc. citing alleged inconsistencies between her birth certificate and the personal account of her birth. Raj was briefly replaced by second runner-up Helen Nicolette Henson since first runner-up Diane Elaine S. Necio, also from Bicol was only 17 years old and did not meet the age requirement policies of Miss Universe.

But, on April 10, 2010, the Binibining Pilipinas Charities, Inc. allowed Raj to reclaim her title due to humanitarian reasons. An additional requirement that Raj should legally obtain a valid Philippine passport as proof of her true citizenship was also requested by the pageant organizers. On May 19, 2010, the Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs issued Raj a Philippine passport thereby attesting to her Filipino citizenship. According to the Department of Foreign Affairs, Raj is a Philippine citizen by virtue of the jus sanguinis principle (“right of blood”), a basic right provided by the Philippine Constitution which bestows upon a person the citizenship of his father or mother regardless of where the person was born, thus declaring her of Filipino citizenship.

Upon the issuance of her Philippine passport, the Binibining Pilipinas Charities, Inc. announced that they are reinstating Raj. Currently, Raj holds the record as the first-ever dethroned Binibining Pilipinas to have successfully attempted for a reinstatement of a Binibining Pilipinas crown.

In August 2010, Raj flew to the United States and took part in the 2010 Miss Universe pageant. As part of the six delegates which were handpicked for a media tour, Raj along with Jesinta Campbell of Australia, Natalia Navarro of Colombia, Sarodj Bertin of Haiti, Ximena Navarrete of Mexico, Mariana Vicente of Puerto Rico and Miss Universe 2009 Stefania Fernandez were scheduled for several television appearances prior to the actual pageant in Las Vegas, Nevada.

During the Miss Universe question and answer portion, Raj was asked by American actor William Baldwin about the biggest mistake that she made in her life and what she did to make it right, to which she simply replied that she had never made any big mistakes in her life. Raj received the highest rating in the Miss Universe website, with 3.54 points, the highest-ever for a Filipina delegate. In an event held in Diablos Cantina at the Monte Carlo Resort and Casino, Raj won in a Chicken Wing Eating Contest, increasing her popularity even more during the run of the pageant.

Finally, she placed fourth runner-up to Ximena Navarrete of Mexico.