Hailing from a small town, Rinku Bhagat, an Advocate, a homemaker and a mother would have not ever dreamt of winning a prestigious beauty pageant until a group of friends at Mandi, Himachal Pradesh became successful in convincing her to break the glass ceiling. Bhagat who earlier used to presume that beauty pageant contests are mainly about modeling only had to change her mind set. After winning the coveted Mrs. India (Classic) contest recently at Chennai, Bhagat realized that even through modeling one can become a role model for others. Speaking her mind, Bhagat shared her experience with The Pioneer. Excerpts:
Married women have several responsibilities, even though you entered into a different domain. How difficult it was for you to pursue modelingIJ
As an Advocate, I have faced several challenges. A woman is blessed with much more competence than a man, I have always believed in hard-work. When I got to know about the Mrs. India (Classic) contest, I was not very much keen about it but later on when I got to know about the format, I was impressed. I suddenly released that even through modeling one can become a role model for others and can change the society. You just need to work passionately to chase your dream, especially when you are committed to work towards the development of society.
At an age of 40 and above, you entered into modeling, were you confident of your decisionIJ
Absolutely, the format of Mrs. India contest is such that irrespective of your age, even 40 plus women gets a chance to live their dreams. The contest is divided into two formats; married females falling in the age group 24 to 40 years who get chance to showcase their talent in beauty queen category while women falling in the age group 41 to 65 years display their flair in the Mrs. India (Classic) category. I was blessed that I got an opportunity to stand and compete with 46 contestants from across the country.
As an advocate you have closely monitored the condition of deprived people, now you have added another feather in your cap, how will you utilize this prospectIJ
I have been doing my practice since 2000, through small gestures like conducting soft skill classes for deprived children and women, I am doing my bit. Now, this pageant has filled me with confidence and has widened my reach. I have planned to visit interior areas of my State, so that I can get to know about the really condition of women and children residing there. My prime focus has always been betterment of women and children.
After winning the contest, your responsibilities have increased. How will you balance your personnel and professional lifeIJ
I am lucky that I have always received support of my family members. Besides my husband, who is a doctor in Indian Army and my15 year old son, all my in-laws supported me in all my ventures. The day I graduated from law school, I have been engaged in some or the other type of social activities, in fact, my several community tasks have helped me out in several ways during the competition. I try to balance my timing, which I believe that I am doing it well looking at my journey.