In 2001, Aditi Govitrikar became the first woman from India to be crowned Mrs World at the global beauty pageant held in Las Vegas. Twenty-three years later, Govitrikar is all set to be a judge at the coveted pageant to be held in Las Vegas later this month. Govitrikar talked to us about the event, starting her own beauty pageant, her definition of beauty and how she deals with life’s lows.

You have been invited to be a jury member for Mrs World 2024 in Las Vegas. How did it happen?

Aditi Govitrikar: I am super excited to go as a judge to Las Vegas where I won the crown. Life has come full circle and I am looking forward to it. After I won the contest in 2001, I kept in touch with the founders for a couple of years. Then, of course, life took over and we got busy. I have not met them again. David Marmel, the founder of Mrs World, is no more. His wife, who is now handling Mrs World, is the director. I am looking forward to catching up with her.

Besides that, I think it’s a good extension of what I am doing right now. I launched my pageant, Marvelous Mrs India. That’s happening on January 14. The next day, I have to fly to Las Vegas. Marvelous Mrs India is my first season. I am looking forward to making it really big, really grand, and the pageant-to-go-to for married women. That’s my dream and I’m working towards it.

What was the idea behind starting Marvelous Mrs India?

Aditi Govitrikar: There were a couple of reasons why I started Marvelous Mrs India. One reason was that I have been invited as a judge to many beauty pageants. What I saw in the last three-four years was that the training that the participating women needed was not really up to the mark. It has become a black-and-white business.

The second thing was that the crowns were not given fairly. I believe there’s a lot of rigging and all. If I am going there as a judge, I need to be the judge and not somebody else who’s taken money or a favour or whatever. I don’t want to get into that. But what’s the point of having a beauty pageant then?

I aim to provide a platform that is genuine, authentic and in the true sense, ‘let the best girl win’. I was offered a certain amount already to sell my crown. I explained to the girl, but I don’t think she understood. I said, ‘If you win it on your merit, it’s the whole lifetime of knowing that you won it on your merit. If you’ve won it because of a favour, maybe the world doesn’t know, but you know. So, who are you cheating?’ But she didn’t understand it. She kept the phone down and never enrolled.

I give one-to-one training to the participants who have joined me. I spend time with them and I see where they are in their lives. Being a psychologist and a wellness coach, it comes very naturally to me. I have seen them changing since the time they joined. Then we have a group training session where we have experts addressing the participants. We have Brahmakumari Sister Shivani and Gaur Gopal Das doing one session each. We also have Noyonika Chatterjee, Vahbiz Mehta, and Chahat Dalal, who is the current Mrs Galaxy.

What is your definition of beauty?

Aditi Govitrikar: Our pageant’s hashtag is #BeautyInsideOut. We are giving equal importance to beauty external as well as internal, because both are equally important today. Frankly, I have always believed that beauty shows on your face when you are beautiful inside. If an externally beautiful person is a horrid human being, then automatically you don’t think of that person as beautiful. There might be somebody who’s not conventionally beautiful according to society’s definition but is a wonderful human being and has a beautiful soul. You will automatically start thinking of that person as beautiful.

Acting becomes a natural progression for any beauty pageant winner. Were you content with the acting work that came your way or were you not pursuing it enough?

Aditi Govitrikar: Growing up, I always wanted to be a doctor. I never had a dream to become an actor. When I started modelling, I didn’t even have a pair of heels or lipstick or make-up. I didn’t know anything. I had to learn everything along the way.

When I won Gladrags (Megamodel Contest in 1996), offers started coming my way but I wanted to complete my MBBS and go for MD in gynaecology. I didn’t have time for films because back then, films used to take one to two years to get made. Plus, I didn’t have the confidence – what to do and how to do it. I was scared of the big bad world of Bollywood. So, I didn’t focus on it.

After some time, when I got comfortable in front of the camera because of music videos, ad films and ramp modelling, I thought, ‘Let’s try acting.’ But it was always like, ‘try karte hain’. And it’s always been like that. I never thought of acting as, oh, this is my world now and I only want to do this.

But now there’s Mismatched on Netflix and Escaype Live on Disney+ Hotstar…

Aditi Govitrikar: I am shooting for one more project with Disney+ Hotstar.

How is this phase looking for you?

Aditi Govitrikar: It’s the same thing as earlier. Like I did Paheli (2005) and De Dana Dan (2009), I’m doing OTT now. It’s not like I don’t enjoy acting but that has never been my focus in life.

It’s been more than two decades since you won Mrs World. How do you look at your journey?

Aditi Govitrikar: It has been excellent. When I won Mrs World, it was a brand-new thing. We already had Ms World and Ms Universe but I introduced Mrs World to India. I have been a mould-breaker since the time I joined this field.

I am a doctor. I’ve done many things. My life has been fun. I’m not the same person I was then. I did a lot of work on myself. I have been practising Vipassana for the last 13 years. Every year I go for a 10-day retreat to a centre. After Marvelous Mrs India and after I come back from Vegas, I want to go for a darkness retreat where you spend three to four days in pitch dark.

That is also a spiritual way of resetting yourself because today there’s so much sensory input that our brain doesn’t get that time to rewire and relax. That is my plan. I feel like spirituality is what keeps you grounded. That’s what life is about.

How do you deal with the low phases in life?

Aditi Govitrikar: There have been quite a few dark events in my life wherein I felt like I had reached not only rock bottom but if there was a possibility of going even lower, I was there. But I think it’s also important to realise that when there is a negative event in your life, it is a platform. You can either go up from there or you go down.

When I was rock bottom, I never thought that I would come out of it. It was almost like everything was over. But what worked for me was my kids. They were very young and I had to look after them. When your mind is occupied by work, you spend less time on negativity. So, thanks to my kids, I came out of it. And spirituality. In 2008, I went for Vipassana for the first time. It has been my anchor.

You’ve studied psychology. What new perspective have you gained about humankind?

Aditi Govitrikar: That I just don’t know anything [laughs]. It’s so shocking – the human mind. The best example was in Bigg Boss and that is where I think the psychology bug bit me. Because day one, I met everybody. I know some people from outside and some people are new. Cut to day 77, the journey that I saw of people in those 77 days, how they changed, how even I must have changed, I don’t know. But how people change and how everybody reacted differently to the same event, same thing… that was a big learning for me.

So, my endeavour in my life is to get my true self to appear like that to everybody. Sometimes it’s necessary to put on a mask, I understand. But then do it consciously, that’s one thing, and then to have purity of thoughts. That’s what I would like to advise people.

What do you want to tell all the women out there who want to get into the world of beauty pageants?

Aditi Govitrikar: I think what is important to you is for everybody, not only women, to pay attention to yourself. Spend a little time with yourself without any distractions. Sit for 10 minutes. Do nothing. Maybe look at the sky, look at the greenery, or just close your eyes and sit in one place and contemplate, introspect. It’s also a kind of meditation. But some people find meditation daunting. Your mental well-being, emotional well-being and physical well-being are very important. Self-care is very important.