While leaving for her house in Dubai for an exclusive meeting with the upcoming name in the fashion industry, Ms. Bhawna Sharma, our team was nervous about how the meet would be. In the grandeur residence when we met her, our expectations were fully met. As elegant as the ambiance, Ms. Bhawna welcomed us with much warmth and love. The fair, tall and slim glam icon, who excelled in her very first pageant sat in in front of us, opening up about her experiences and about how the very first pageant itself bestowed her the crown!
The well-read beauty, Bhawna spoke about fashion and societal issues which left us with no surprise why she grabbed the crown at her first hit.
Heading to Mrs. Asia Pacific, to be held this May 2021 in Singapore-Malaysia, this beauty was all in her charm and energy while interacting with us. Here is the crux of the discussions we had at her
Dubai residence.
Let me start by asking you, how do you feel now, being in the state of beautiful success. How has your life changed after being crowned as Mrs.India-Iam Powerful?
Life is all about perception, observation, and expression. The more we evolve and grow in life, we realize change is the only constant. This title has surely made an impact on people’s perception of me. I have realized I am powerful to accept the change. This blend of beauty and power in the title, Mrs. India- I am Powerful gives me a chance to show that women are beautiful and strong at the same time. Women should be the epitome of beauty, wisdom, and strength. We are not weak but strong enough not to boast our strength every now and then.
The event that was held in Goa had two days. How much have those two days changed your life? We are sure it has taught you a lot of lessons.
The event was planned with caution due to the pandemic that lingered at the back of everybody’s head. So, the first lesson was in the midst of every difficulty there lies a beautiful treasure. I think those who participated in the event were not only the contestants for the pageant but also strong women who deserve love and respect of all. The other thing I learned is everything is possible if we have grit and the willingness to do so. I was managing my pageant and did not even take leaves from my work. I wanted to be perfect at both ends. I knew how important it was to be available for any task for which I have given my commitment.
Can you describe the talent round in which you did not excel? How did this impact you personally?
There was around in which we had to showcase our one talent in just two minutes. The zeal of every contestant was so amazing that it uplifted the spirit of everyone around. There were ladies who showcased their makeup skills in just two minutes, some danced on peppy numbers whereas I preferred to sing. Though I didn’t win that round I could connect to the audience and I felt exuberant after giving my 100 percent. This left me pondering that one can be happy after giving a sincere try and life is all about playing and moving ahead.
Walking down from a disciplined and a not-so-fancy school teacher’s life to the epitome of the Fashion industry, how far do you think the journey had been hard? How did the school management respond to your winning of the Crown?
I think we live in a fast-changing world but it’s hard to change the stereotypes. I am happy that I can consider myself a flagbearer to break one stereotype that teachers can’t enter the fashion industry. This has posed another question of why teaching job is not so fancy in India. A teacher is the one who teaches the upcoming generations of astronauts, engineers, architects, doctors, lawyers, etc… I always think life has numerous possibilities for each individual, we just need to be confident enough to accept the change and work hard towards achieving that possibility.
My school is a prestigious institution that I am proud to be a part of. The management of the school congratulated me and wished me luck for my endeavors.
How was it working with Mr. Jiss Victor, the Director UAE of Mrs. India, I am Powerful?
Mr. Victor was the one who had shown confidence in me from the beginning. He guided me to enter this new realm of the fashion industry with genuine and benign suggestions. I learned a lot under his guidance and am grateful for the faith he has shown in me. You need a director like him to guide you when you are new to the game and doubts arise due to that.
What are your future plans and works in the kitty? What is your daily regime to take the Crown internationally?
It will be too soon to disclose all the plans because plans need to be executed to become reality. But I am a little hesitant to even think of leaving my current profession as I like surrounded by students whom A.P.J. Kalam called, Ignited minds. I like the spark and exuberance in their curious minds and it gives me the joy to be able to be a part of the learning process. But I won’t deny that I like modeling and the best part of the show was to face the audience during the ramp walk. I am even excited to represent India internationally.
There are a few things that I would be particular about as it’s an honor to represent your nation on international platforms. I have to continue doing yoga for flexibility and fitness. Meditation helps reducing stress and to make the heart beautiful and it gives me the strength to face any situation that life poses. I would like to emphasize the importance of a pure heart devoid of hatred and negativity. I like keeping myself busy and I don’t get perturbed easily by others’ opinions as it saves my mind and keeps me sane.
Such titles always come with an added responsibility towards society. What is your take on this?
It is true that responsibility increases after you gain such titles because people look up to you and try to know more about you. You can easily bring a positive change after you receive such titles. My purpose to enroll for this pageant was to become a voice of the women who want to express themselves but have been suppressed by the patriarchal society.
Can you share us more about your personal life ?
Life has taught me beautiful lessons throughout and for me the cup is half full not empty. I have two siblings one is an architect in Dubai and the other is a police officer in Melbourn. My mother runs a free after school coaching for unprivileged girls. My father who was a builder earlier now deals with organic farming and A2 milk products. My husband serves in the Indian army as an officer and I have a beautiful teenaged daughter who likes art and photography. I have stayed in various states of India and currently living in Dubai. I have the world’s most amazing family who is so encouraging and supportive of all my endeavors. I even hold a special bond with my extended family. I have many trustworthy friends to support and criticize me at the same time.
I have worked in a couple of schools in various states of India and now I am working with DPS, Dubai. I had a strong inclination towards yoga since I was in my college. I was drawn to the spiritual path in the year 2006 when I joined The Art of Living and started looking at life from a different perspective.
My close association with my NGO gave me a chance to serve society. I joined hands with other volunteers and started visiting nearby villages to create awareness about relative social issues. We organized many camps and workshops for youth empowerment under the aegis of IAHV (International Association for Human Values).
There have been few challenges in my life too like many others. I was just a graduate when I got married to a man who was in the Army and was busy serving the nation. I knew nothing about the unsaid courtesies and firm mannerism in the Indian Army then. It’s an amazing institution that has all the valor and at the same time knows how to respect women. I learned a lot from my close association with other fantastic lady wives in the army and dignified men in olive green.
I finished my B.Ed and MA (English) after my daughter’s birth. I never thought studying can be a tug- of –war when one oscillates between family and career. I started watching a few documentaries about some profound women like Oprah Winfrey, Margaret Atwood, Sudha Murthy, and many more. I realized not only marginal women suffer the guilt of giving importance to their work but even great women leaders have to deal with the same emotion. I decided not to be over-ambitious and started doing whatever I could easily do. I decided to move to Dubai when I realized my daughter is big enough to manage herself and my husband is still busy serving the nation.
My favorite spot in the world is going within and meeting my true self. I spare my time twice a year to enroll myself in silence retreat programs where I contemplate and explore more about myself. It’s a beautiful process where you go to delete the excess data stored in the mind, I mean the unwanted impressions in the mind. Now I know, life is unpredictable but that’s the beauty of it. You never would like to see a movie if you know the end. So, I am just playing my role assigned by the creator and roles keep changing. I am just playing it 100 percent and having all the fun.