‘Mrs India South 2017’ Winner Nischitha Shenoy Reveals her Success Story
Mangaluru: A beauty pageant or beauty contest is a competition that mainly focuses on the physical beauty of its contestants, although such contests also incorporate personality, intelligence, talent, and answers to judges’ questions as judged criteria. Beauty pageants remain one of the oldest and well-known symbols of sexism in society today. However, the fact remains that beauty pageants still celebrate and reward a narrow view of feminine beauty. Many women who participate in beauty pageants contribute more to society than many would have expected in the past. By their very nature, beauty pageants support the idea that, for women, any noteworthy success or accomplishment should ideally be presented in a pretty package – conventional feminine attractiveness being the package in question.
“Mrs. India Beauty Pageant”, the only contest in the country which provides a gateway to international platforms like ‘Mrs. Asia International’, ‘Mrs. World and Mrs. Planet’ at a momentous event held on 23rd April, 2017 at Radisson Blu City Centre Chennai announced the winners of “Mrs.India South 2017” and the semi-finalists of ‘Mrs. India Beauty Pageant’. Founded by Ms. Deepali Phadnis, Founder of ‘Mrs. India’ and former ‘Mrs. Asia international’, ‘Mrs. India’ is the only beauty pageant for married women in the country allowing them to come together in a celebration of not only their beauty but their personality, talent, glamour and culture too. Out of the 20 contestants that competed in the beauty pageant, Nischitha Shenoy of Mangaluru was announced the winner of Mrs. India South 2017. Now she is qualified to enter the National round of Mrs India 2017 to be hosted in June. Nischitha Shenoy also won the subtitle of “Mrs India Bollywood Queen – South Edition 2017”. This pageant surely was for Indian Women who embody Beauty, Talent, Intelligence and Compassion- and for that matter, Nischitha has proved it!
The Indian Woman in her lifetime assumes numerous significant parts that make her crucial. She in the line of Entrepreneurship consider Business Enterprises, Operate them, Undertake Risks and handle Economic Uncertainties required in maintaining a Business Enterprise. Mrs India South challengers are Successful Indian Women who endeavor to act naturally certain, agile, exquisite, magnetic and respectable in the representation of India at home and around the globe. Notwithstanding being a Hallmark of India and an image of Beauty and Success, the Mrs India South challenge gives a Career spring bound to its members. It is comprising of a youthful and lively group whose mission is to advance the improvement of a situation that enhances the capability of the Contestants and to bolster them form into dependable adulthood.
The Pageant has provided a fascinating glimpse into how Indian standards of femininity have been defined, projected, maintained, and challenged. The pageantry had given a chance for married women like Nischitha to unleash their talents and expose their beauty. But what one realizes beyond that is their warm and straight forward attitude towards life – beautiful, inspiring and infectious. A brief conversation with her revealed that she is a strong young lady with engaging thoughts. She seems incredibly sharp, intelligent, confident and poised, and she was unbelievably good during my interaction with her. Being a ‘Mrs India South 2017 was Euphoric! While she is just trying to appreciate every single moment of this invaluable accomplishment, Nischitha says “As women through our growing years we are told different things by people around us. Some good and some bad. We need to shun bad things, defy expectations of people who have little or no faith in our abilities, prove them wrong and stand tall and proud like Queens”.
Born on 22 November 1983 to V Ananth Shenoy and Reshma A Shenoy, Nischitha did her schooling at Besant English School-Mangaluru, and at Rosary School-Panjim, Goa. After completing her college at Canara Pre-University College-Mangaluru, she pursued her B.E at Ambedkar Institute of Technology, Bengaluru, with distinction in Information Sciences and engineering. Regarding her achievements- she started dancing and performing at the age of three, and when she was only four years old she won her first prize – the first place in a solo act of playing ‘Shakunthala’. Excelled in academics and stood first in class several times, and also bagged All-rounder award in school for three consecutive years based on several awards (first place) in extra curricular activities like singing(western/classical), dancing (western, films), painting, handwriting, essay writing, elocution, drama/plays and sports. Represented my school and college in the volleyball tournaments.
Nischitha seen with her parents
Nischitha also achieved distinction in the juniors exam for Bharathnatyam, after practising it for 10 years. She represented her Engg college in an intercollegiate VTU cultural fest.
Excelled academically and stood first in class in her batch in Engineering and was one of the top students to be recruited on campus. She was awarded titles based on her work and performance in the IT company. Teaching for almost 3 years. presently she is a licensed Zumba fitness instructor in Bengaluru. Nischitha Shenoy has always been an achiever, a dreamer and believes that there is nothing hard work can’t help you achieve. Being a technology consulting professional, a licensed Zumba fitness instructor and a mother to a 16 month old baby girl, Nischitha is a go-getter and an achiever- her recent success in the pageant is the proof.
As a Zumba instructor, she has helped raise funds for causes such as Women Empowerment. Being a fitness enthusiast, she currently loves doing Zumba, Cross Fit, Weight training, Muay Thai and Kick Boxing. Nischitha believes in restoring mother nature to all her glory and is a supporter and active volunteer with the NGO Saytrees.org. She is a volunteer with “Save Whitefield” a public initiative to tackle civic and environmental woes of Whitefield, Bengaluru.
Nischitha’s simple and modest demeanor translated into the sense of fashion which she appreciates herself. Ever since she won the recent title, she has found that her sense of style has become more expressive of who she is. She is fun loving, spontaneous and impromptu on stage. Mirror..Mirror on the Wall. Nischitha is the prettiest among all! Fringe or no fringe, for this pretty Mangalorean, love is the purest emotion that can’t be expressed in words. Nischitha is a female with a lot of gusto and a resplendent personality. Nischitha who outclassed the rest of the contestants to be the “Mrs India south 2017” winner spills the beans about her life, future aspirations and much more through this exclusive interview with Mangalorean.com.
Following are the excerpts from the interview:
Q: How does it feel to be the winner as ‘Mrs India South 2017?
It feels surreal but at the same time, I am ecstatic that my hard work and commitment paid off and I ended up winning the title of Mrs India South 2017. I am also aware that with this win comes a lot of responsibility and I am all set to take it on with all the challenges and promises it brings.
Q: How do you measure success?
For me success means satisfaction. I measure it with how satisfied I am with what I set out to achieve. The end result might not always be victory or a win. But if I am happy with my efforts, then I don’t regret. Winning is not everything. I feel not succeeding sometimes teaches you very important life lessons.
Q: What was the most important part of pageantry? How did you manage to win this pageant?
Mrs India, India’s one and only National Pageant for married woman hosted Mrs India South 2017 which was organised from 21st to 24th Apr 2017 by Mrs Deepali Phadnis, Director Mrs India Pageants and Productions Pvt Ltd, Official host of Mrs World, Mrs Asia International and Mrs Planet, at Radisson blu, City Centre, Chennai. This was my first pageant which I decided to be a part of with nothing else driving me, but a gut feeling, that said “Why not give it a try? You might just do well”. Believing that I can be a part of something that girls and women dream to be, this first step was important to me. The most important part of the Mrs India South 2017 pageantry I feel is the fact that it was about celebrating womanhood irrespective of how a woman looks like, her color or background.
I was declared the winner in a matter of seconds, but the journey to reach there involved weeks of effort, time, extreme hard work and most importantly determination. I cannot afford to forget my support system, my husband, my parents, In-laws,my brother and Sister in law. The tremendous help offered by my parents and family made it possible for me to be a part of this pageant.
Q: Which phase of the competition was your favorite?
Mrs India South 2017 was an enriching experience from the get-go. When I look back on those 4 days of the pageant where the entire Mrs India South crew, lived as a unit, every single thing I did, every wonderful opportunity was given to me feels priceless. But, my favorite phase was that drive one feels in those final moments where you badly want to be a part of the top ten finalists. Once you make it there and you are that closer to making your dream, a reality, the satisfaction I felt and the state of mind I was in is something I cannot describe in words.
Q: Do you feel different from the other contestants? What made you unique?
I think every contestant was unique and different. Everyone had their own set of strengths and skills, which is why they made it there. The most important quality of mine that made me unique was that I acknowledged and worked on my flaws and leveraged the training, workshops and the guidance given to me by the directors of the pageant. Confidence and faith in oneself makes all the difference.
Q: What do you think would be the three qualities that every woman should have?
Patience, Perseverance and Confidence. These three qualities I believe can take you places and help you attain the kind of life you want for yourself and your family.
Q: What’s your favorite childhood memory?
I consider myself an extremely lucky child who had the privilege to spend her holidays every year at her grandparents’ house in a gorgeous and serene village named Thirthahalli, in Shivamogga district. Acres of farmland, lush forest, diverse crops, fresh fruits to gorge on and of course farm animals. The house even to this day makes me feel so much at peace.
I love cats and dogs.The most fond memory is that of me playing with one of my favorite pets then named Tinku, a Pomeranian in the courtyard of the house. Apparently I was his favorite too and he used to follow me around everywhere and do whatever I told him to do. He was a great friend although for a brief period of time.
Q: How did you prepare for this pageant? Have you competed in pageants before this one?
Like I mentioned before, Mrs India South 2017 was my first pageant ever. Although the resources needed to be prepared and all set for the pageant are aplenty, preparation to me meant being ready mentally and physically. I have been a fitness enthusiast for quite a few years now. So with respect to the physical aspect I trained hard. Kick Boxing, Cross Fit, Weight Training, Zumba, Muay Thai are a few forms of fitness regimes/routines that I follow. I am a Zumba fitness instructor and I took classes literally until the day I left for Chennai. I always ate healthy home made food. Mentally being prepared I think was a process that I learnt to enjoy eventually. Learnt from my mistakes every day, corrected them, got better and that put my mind at ease.
Q: Who is your latest celebrity role model?
To me she is a celebrity and role model whose achievements are mind boggling- the Magnificent Mary, Mary Kom. From humble beginnings to being a world boxing champion at an age where women never dream of re-starting their career, leave alone a boxing career, shows what an incredible woman she is with a lioness’ heart. She to me is the definition of Role Model. That insane and commendable level of commitment and hard work is something I dream to work towards and achieve some day.
Q: What is your favorite social media platform to use and why?
To be honest, since I decided to be a mother, I haven’t been very active on Social Media. I genuinely feel that there is much more to life than scrolling and staring at your mobile screen. That being said, the world around us now is so dynamic and social media savvy, that one needs it to reach out to a larger group of people. I think Facebook is quite user-friendly and has most of my family and friends in it. Moreover, now that I am Mrs India South 2017, social media is a platform that can help me share my experience in this pageant, reach out to people, support my cause of Saving and restoring mother nature to all her glory, spread awareness about sensitive issues. I guess at the end of the day it’s all about how one uses Social Media.
Q: What your parents have to say about your success in this beauty contest?
Well, like any other supportive parents, they are extremely happy and proud of my achievement. Having a child, a career, a family to take care are factors that should not come in the way of you pursuing your dreams is what they always tell me. In fact I feel all of these factors were and forever will be my strength and they made me who I am today. I am immensely thankful to my parents for all their help, unconditional love and support.
Q: I am sure that your family is such a huge support to you and for your journey in this pageant-Was there any particular thing a family member has said that has inspired you to go this far?
The fact that my husband, my entire family believed that I had what it took to be a part of this pageant in itself is very rewarding. Actions speak louder than words! Its not so much about what they said, but what they did for me, without me asking them, in order for me to be able to be a part of this pageant, this journey, is what inspired me and fueled my desire to win it even further.
Q: Winning in this beauty pageant, do you have any ideas for a change in your career for the future?
At this point in time, not really. I have joined work back as a Technology consulting professional recently and plan on continuing it. A career in fitness also might be on the cards. If something viable in the field of modelling or acting comes up, I will most definitely consider it.
Q: How would you define your personal style? What do you see when you look in the mirror?
I used to try to follow trends when I was a teenager. Over the years I have developed my own style and comfort with the clothes that I have and the ones I buy. I mix and match a lot, which I find very interesting. It creates unique looks with minimal effort. Accessories enhance any look and take it up a notch. I like it when my clothes are easy going because that matches my personality and style.
When I look in the mirror, I see a confident career woman, a wife who strives every day to accomplish the little goals in life, a daughter and a mother who tries to fulfill wishes of her loved ones and take care of them. Someone who is very happy with her life.
Q: What is your greatest strength and what is your biggest weakness?
I believe that I am a relentless warrior of sorts. I never give up and I always try to see the positive side of things in life. This gives me strength to face everything and achieve anything in life. My biggest weakness is that I am a very sensitive person and sometimes let it come in the way of things.
Q: From where you stand right now how does life look?
Amazingly beautiful. Its always been, because I work hard every single day to make it that way. No matter what I decide to take up I always give it my heart and soul. Having a supportive and loving family is what makes life worthwhile. I hope I leverage all this love and help to achieve greater heights and be of support to my family along the way. Opportunities come and go, but being able to love and be loved is priceless.
Q: What would be your greatest achievement that will make you feel your life was a huge success?
Being able to give birth to new life and be a mother in my own way, with all my flaws, yet nurture a newborn, is a huge achievement for any woman. But, I think taking care of my family and their wishes until the end to the best of my abilities would make my life a huge success. No other achievement would give me this satisfaction, happiness and peace.
Q: Okay, later in the years in case if you were to choose from films and modelling, what would you choose?
I am a huge movie buff. The glitz and glamour of the movie business are really quite tempting. The more you get to hear about the movie industry the more you realize that the effort that goes into their work is tremendous. Same applies to modelling. Both of these industries are evolving as we speak. Re-inventing oneself and being committed is the key I feel. So like I said before, anything viable that comes my way first is what ill pick or maybe ill pick both if I am lucky enough to have that privilege.
Q: Being a beautiful young lady yourself, who would you consider as the most beautiful woman, and why?
A woman’s character, her qualities and deeds, however big or small make her beautiful. I am a new mother, so now I understand and realize the scale of patience, relentlessness and the strength that it took for my mother to make innumerable sacrifices for the well being of her family. That’s why to me, my mother will always be the most beautiful woman forever and ever.
Q: What is that you would like to share with Mangalorean.com readers? Also some words of advice to younger girls who may want to follow in your footsteps.
One thing I would love to share with Mangalorean.com readers is that I have seen many cities and countries in the world, but Mangaluru has been and will always be my first love and home. The people there are so warm and welcoming and I hope we as mangaloreans always keep it that way, a happy place for anyone to be.
To all girls and women out there reading this, I wanna say that as women through our growing years we are told a lot of different things by people around us, both good and bad. We need to shun bad things, overcome difficulties, defy expectations of people who have little or no faith in our abilities, prove them wrong and stand tall and proud like Queens. Women are achievers, we have proved it time and again, irrespective of the field. There is nothing we cannot attain, that we put our minds to. Remember, Success is the best revenge. So GO FOR IT!
Team Mangalorean wishes the pride of Kudla, Nischitha Shenoy all success in her future endeavours- and best of luck in National round of Mrs India 2017 to be held next month.
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