The crown itself is a responsibility to uphold with integrity and it is an honour for lifetime
Debashree Chakroborty
Mrs India Divine Diva
Pageant Coach
Founder Miss & Mrs Persona of India pageant
Entrepreneur
Photographer
Classical Dancer
Congratulations on being crowned Mrs. India Divine Diva Empress of the Nation! How did this achievement impact your life and goals?
Winning the crown was not the culmination of my aspiration but the beginning of a mission to inspire and empower women across the nation. It was transformative to the very core of my existence. It encouraged me to break barriers, embrace my uniqueness, and changed my perception of beauty and grace. I realized that armed with proper knowledge and learning, this achievement can reach heights that can impact many lives with hope, fulfilment, independence and honour. Last but not the least, the crown itself is a responsibility to uphold with integrity and it is an honour for lifetime. As bright the stones are, the heart should shine bright and high.
Your transition from a corporate employee to a pageant winner and entrepreneur is inspiring. What motivated you to take the leap?
Being fascinated with fashion and its impact across the world for centuries, the participation in the contest gave me an opportunity to look at this age-old industry from various different perspectives and angles. I topped it up with my personal inclination and ideologies towards social causes. I realized that a crown has a voice of its own and it is upon its bearer to make a valuable contribution towards mankind. I saw new light with many new rays of hope and hence the leap was taken.
Your Platinum Global Award recognition in Las Vegas was a testament to your contributions. How did this international acknowledgment affect your work?
This international recognition was a humbling experience which helped me see many areas of work and their facets, where others have been investing their time and efforts for a better world. It opened up multiple doors for further quality work with recognized organizations and individuals, partnership and collaborative work with institutes and houses working towards various social causes, helped me in shaping my work and reach multiple domains which enhanced my resume. It has fuelled my determination to create a blasting change to empower others, to take ownership of their work and scaling the future of the nation. It has increased my global visibility and credibility.
Miss & Mrs. Persona of India is more than a pageant; it’s a movement. Can you elaborate on your vision and objectives?
In a world where the concept of beauty is often confined to the physical attributes, Miss & Mrs Persona Of India stands out as a revolutionary platform that celebrates the true essence of a woman, her courage, her voice and her impact on society. Through this pageant, it is not just to create a legacy in the beauty and fashion industry but to shape the future of womanhood in India, inspiring countless women to pursue their dreams and make a difference in the world beyond age, weight or height.
Society is changing , so are our thoughts and lifestyle. We provide a platform to design unfulfilled dreams, instill strength and confidence to see a new person within everyone. Together, we can re-discover a New You, a confident and empowered You. As a remarkable milestone, Miss & Mrs Persona of India beauty pageant has crowned a 72 yrs old lady as the winner in the Mrs category, an unprecedented celebration of womanhood.
How do you redefine beauty beyond physical attributes, and what qualities do you look for in participants?
I believe beauty is inwards, not outwards. Focusing on inner qualities and strength of character that makes a person unique and valuable are attributes that are far more impactful than the colour of skin or shape of the figure. Some qualities I look for in my participants are – positive attitude and energy, courage and perseverance, intelligence and presence of mind, leadership qualities with kindness, understanding & generosity, abilities to take responsibilities and be answerable for it, cultural exchange and understanding gender equality etc.
Your platform supports cancer survivors, oncologists, social activists, and acid victims. What drives your passion for social causes?
We all have a purpose to live. Blessed to be born as a woman with a sound body and mind, I feel the onus of helping the less fortunate lies with people like us. I believe in love and kindness, being compassionate and sympathetic with the struggle and hardship that we all face. Quoting Mahatma Gandhi – ‘ Be the change you wish to see in the world’. I want to dedicate the days of my life to do something useful for the world. At the end of the day, this duty and responsibility gives me inner peace and happiness. To help people see the beauty of the light who have seen darkness is a battle we must fight against all kinds of evil. I feel happy to try to break the stigma faced by such people, a motivation strong enough to carry on the work. Not showing any sympathy, I salute their courage.
How do you balance your business ventures with social responsibility, and what message do you want to convey?
I have learnt to manage time, work and social responsibilities through experiences from previous works, reading books on self-development, managing food and physical activities, keeping notes, planning the day first thing in the morning, checking the list again at the end of day and analyse what did not work.
I am a very strong visionary and always believe that business has the power to drive positive changes and opens up new opportunities for a better world. I value social responsibilities, empathy and sustainability to create a better future for all of us. Social responsibility is essential for long term business success. If we can contribute to this world, then we will definitely get the benefits back with bonuses.
As a choreographer, what inspired you to work with acid victims, and what did you learn from the experience?
Working with acid victims was an enlightening and life changing experience that inspired me immensely and boosted my confidence in the power of womanhood. It is their strength of character and courageous heart that inspired me to take up the challenge to bring them to the fore, make them feel at one with everyone else, show them a pathway to fulfil their dreams, all possible, despite their fight against all odds. Society is ready to accept them as equal, they just need to see and feel the confidence in themselves. I experienced positivity & hope in humanity as I worked with them.
Organ donation is a vital cause. How do you plan to continue raising awareness and promoting this issue?
Some ways of raising awareness and continuing save countless lives are :
Education & awareness programs in schools & colleges
Social media partnership with appropriate organizations
CSR partnership for lectures & awareness programs
Associating with healthcare industry, educators etc for proper knowledge, procedures, guidelines, benefits & risks, individual rights and moral responsibilities etc
Research and promotion of real-life stories and inspiration on how organ donation can save lives or provide a healthy life to the deprived.
What challenges have you faced as a woman entrepreneur, and how have you overcome them?
Gender-biasness and stereotyped mentality, limited access to funding and human resources, lack of faith & trust towards a woman’s’ abilities, social expectations and performance pressure, unsolicited advances with unethical proposals, instilling scare for failure etc are some of the challenges that I faced as a woman entrepreneur. Despite all these, my strategies to overcome these are to have a true faith on myself and my abilities, continuous development of skill and knowledge, embracing the challenges as an opportunity for growth, being steadfast towards my goals, courage to say no and move on, determined to celebrate both success and failure as successful experiences, uphold my integrity and honor etc.
Your work empowers women to break barriers and become role models. Who are your role models, and what qualities do you admire in them?
Women who exemplify courage , resilience and determination have always drawn my attention. I feel blessed that India is a land where many women made a huge impact on society through their education, courage, kindness, brilliance, intelligence, prowess, spirituality etc. Women like Rani Laxmi Bai, Sarojini Naidu, PT Usha, Maa Sarada Devi, Homai Vyarawalla ( first female photojournalist) , Bachendri Pal, Sarla Thakral ( first female pilot ), Savithribai Phule, Shakuntala Devi, and countless others have shaped various facets of our society, our mentality, our existence.
Some of my role models, who are women, are –
Mrs Indira Gandhi for her vision, brilliant leadership qualities and one of the proponents of global woman empowerment.
Mrs Kiran Bedi, for her courage and integrity and as a strong social reformer and inspiring generations of women to join public service for the nation.
Mother Teresa for her kindness and philanthropic ideologies, who despite not being a biological mother took care of millions of kids and spread global peace.
Looking ahead, what legacy do you hope to leave in the beauty and fashion industry, and how do you envision shaping the future of womanhood in India?
I would like to leave behind a mark that would cheer womanhood forever, empower woman to embrace their uniqueness & individuality, break stereotyped social norms for uplifting woman’s moral fibre and social responsibilities, advocate women’s rights, education & healthcare, look beyond beauty, age, skin types etc and look for higher personality that would shape characters of more and more women. I would like to create a platform for voicing their vision and achieving their goals, encourage learning sessions and programs about how fashion is beyond skin and more about manifesting inner self, creating opportunities towards economical and social freedom yet maintaining a healthy balance between financial flexibility and social responsibilities. After all, a woman is the mother of all self.
