India got a successor to Miss World 2000 Priyanka Chopra earlier this month. But Mrs India Universe 2017 - World Shreya Krishnan feels that the country should celebrate and encourage others too who represented India on international platforms but couldn't clinch the crown.
Ever since Manushi Chhillar won the coveted Miss World 2017 title in China on November 18, people have been showering her with wishes.
Shreya, who will represent India at the Mrs. World pageant in December next year, is proud of Manushi's victory too but feels those who were unable to win should not be ignored.
"A lot of love and encouragement are given (to those who win) but we should also encourage people who don't win as often.... We should be a country that celebrates failure as much as it celebrates success because every year, we have a representative out there.
"We tend to remember the winners but forget that there were people who were really good but couldn't win due to circumstances," Shreya, 32, told IANS over phone from Bengaluru.
The mother of a four-year-old has won several beauty pageant titles including Cloud Nine Queen 2013 and Super Mom 2014. Is there pressure on her to win Mrs. World?
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"When I participated in all those pageants, I didn't think that I should come back home with a crown. I went with a mindset that I should enjoy the process of the experience to the fullest and gain what I can. Also, to try to make a change in the mindset of all contestants regarding body positivity or beauty," she said.
On preparing for the international beauty pageant, she said: "I don't see another form of preparation apart from being healthy and happy."
The marketing and communications professional, who sports a short hairdo, believes beauty pageants are not just about looks.
"In my experience, it is not all about beauty. If you are good, have a strong personality and carry it well and can also put forward your ideas in the best manner, you do have an edge," she said.
Should the pageants do away with vital statistics then?
"Vital statistics are probably a wrong way to measure fitness. If you want to be healthy, fit and happy, you don't have to be essentially of a specific size. There is some perception change that needs to be brought in... which some pageants are trying to do.
"They are moving away from the traditional requirement for having specific measurements. It should be emulated," she said.
It's not just about pageants.
"Whatever a woman chooses to do, she should go ahead and do it without thinking much. Women are always putting themselves last. It is important to put themselves first and stop comparing themselves to someone who has nothing to do with them," she said.
"They should be the best version of who they are and should take care of themselves. That's their journey to real and authentic happiness," she concluded.
(Natalia Ningthoujam can be contacted at natalia.n@ians.in)
--IANS
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