Barkha Nangia

Pageant Founder and Director

"All our lives, a woman’s personal aspirations are put on hold behind a myriad of responsibilities, priorities and a woman is never just living for herself. I had observed this a very long time ago and throughout my own life, I knew I was gearing to contribute to this in some way.

To organise Beauty Pageants was a conscious decision as I had met countless women who had held back on their full potential. The inception of these pageants was focused on the married women of India so that they are not held back by the “conventional standards of having aspirations of the world”. All their lives, these women are told to live for themselves after they are married and they go on with life with the ember burning ever-so-slightly and oftentimes, it gets washed out.

I want to be able to strengthen that passion in them, give them a space to hone themselves so that they have the confidence to walk their path, to make decisions for themselves. The pageants are not just mere competition, they are a series of workshops, training sessions, personality development - a safe space to intensify what these beautiful women already are. I want all these women to feel beautiful about themselves, their lives, their achievements, their ambitions and to be able to give them a mere push into their own path, is the whole idea behind the pageants.

Having said that, I reckon that Beauty Pageants are criticized in the world, but my pageants are a celebration of all the ladies who are a part of the whole effort. Right from makeup artists, designers, life coaches, assistants - a massive team of women (and men) who work to achieve one goal - women empowerment. This is not just a beauty pageant, this is a holistic experience. I believe that a woman does not only depend on her beauty to feel empowered. Empowerment comes from self-confidence and these events reinforce what they already possess. All they need is a push. A confident woman is a beautiful woman - inside out.

Like Mrs Delhi NCR, Ms India Curvy - The Plus Size Show, Mrs World International, Mrs Punjab - Pride of Nation are other pageants that we organise, and they don’t cease their tremors after one event per se. The ability to realise one’s potential determines what they choose for themselves. We want women to be able to have a choice! These women either move on to bigger challenges, or either they lead their lives with newly-acquired confidence, or they restart themselves, to lead a better life. The heightened sense of dignity they acquire has affected their lives, jobs, relationships, careers in a positive sense. Isn’t this women empowerment?

I have had my fair share of struggles out of health, professional decisions, deception and plagiarism along the path. But I have grown with these experiences and being able to organise these pageants has us working harder as we grow and adapt with each year. We are empowered by empowering these women and their success makes us feel successful. Their happiness is our reward."