I sent out the application form I was dearly holding on to for a while. Very soon, I had an invite for the preliminary rounds of the Gladrags Mrs. India contest. The prelims were in Bangalore and my in-laws lived there at that time. The next thing I know, my husband called his Mom to let her know. My sister-in-law, who was a Bollywood actress at that point, found me an excellent designer and mentor to prepare for various stages of the contest. Things moved at a pretty heady pace from then on. I made it through the preliminary rounds and was called to Mumbai for the final contest.

Being crowned as Mrs. India was one of the most surreal experiences of my life. Thinking of it even today gives me goosebumps. You tend to imagine what it would be like to live your dream. Yet when you are actually living it, it’s so much bigger, brighter, happier. I still remember the moment when my name was announced. The sound of loud cheering and clapping filtering into my ears. I remember myself feeling frozen – maybe for just a few milliseconds but it seemed much longer. “One of my childhood dreams have come true ” !! .Tens of thousands of thoughts were rushing through my mind. Flashback scenes from the younger days when I used to watch all the pageant videos in awe, to the time when I shared my dreams with my mother. Fast forward to images of what the reaction back home would be like after hearing that a girl from Hyderabad had won. The most important feeling of all was the sweet reassurance that following my dreams had been the right thing to do.

Not being cocky here, but even before the finals I somehow knew I would be in the top 3. It was partly the confidence in my efforts, and also the word on the ground. Photographers and makeup artists who had been in the business for years tended to have a gauge on which girls would end up being the favourites. Add to that all the contestants were living together for 15 days, rehearsing all day, travelling together, so the word did get around. The amount of hard work I had put in to prepare also needs a mention. My fitness, my nutrition, my skin, my wardrobe, my general awareness – I had it all covered from hours and hours of efforts. And then to top it all, with a support system as strong as mine, I was sure to feel on top of the world.

My foray into modelling continued in the years to come, giving me the best of the exposure. The next big feather in my hat was being featured in the Kingfisher calendar. Jet set to Australia. What stayed with me the most was shooting in Kangaroo Island. We stayed in a quaint, little resort by the beach with beautiful cottages and had the most amazing time. It mattered little that it was bitterly cold outside as we posed looking all sultry in our gorgeous bikinis. The models all shared sunny hugs at the end of each shot which more than made up for the shivers. Our hosts at the resort were lovely people too. I have such great memories of us having all our meals on one giant dining table. The whole experience felt like being on one big fat family vacation.

Life was going great. Every day felt like a dream. All my career aspirations were unfolding, page by page like chapters from a fairy tale. Being married, and having a partner to share life with felt more beautiful than anything else. There was so little to complain about and so much to appreciate. They say behind every successful man, there is a woman. But there could be a man behind every successful woman too!

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