CHENNAI : Charming, chirpy and caring — three qualities describe Dr Anita Paramasivan. The 48-year-old radiologist from Chennai was crowned first runner-up of Dazzle Mrs India World on October 1 in Delhi. The theme for this year was breast cancer awareness. Anita is the brand ambassador of breast cancer awareness in Tamil Nadu.
At the pageant, Anita also bagged the Mrs Talent title for her mime performance depicting the early stages of a woman, who comes to terms with her breast cancer condition. “The reason I took part in the beauty pageant is for the cause of breast cancer awareness. I’ve been passionate and associated with this cause since 2012. I’m also a proud pink ambassador. This is a platform for me to reach out to students, NGOs and underprivileged women,” says Anita.
Dr Anita was one among the 62 participants from different parts of the country who took part in the pageant. For a doctor who is usually the boss at work, the beauty pageant seems to have changed her perspectives. “The journey from being a busy practitioner to being crowned as a beauty queen was a wonderful learning experience.
I paved my way into a world of glitz and glamour that I always dreamt of. I was the oldest among the contestants. Earlier, I’d never be open to suggestions. But these kids were all humble despite the age difference. From walking the ramp to performing tasks at various stages of the pageant, every moment was inspiring. My favourite one was the fitness round. Everybody except me was a fitness enthusiast,” shares Anita.
Talking about the answer to the question which won her the runner up title, she shares, “The question was, ‘As a mother what would be the one lesson you’d pass on to your children. My answer was — Explore your inner strengths first. Work towards it and achieve. Never get bogged down by people. I’m a grandmother of a three-year-old. Had I shied away from the camera because of my age and other responsibilities, I wouldn’t have walked the ramp with my head held high. This pageant helped explore my inner strengths.” Rather than pondering over the missed out opportunities, she feels that women need to step up and figure out a way to accomplish them.
Anita’s accolades
The passion for exploring Anita’s creative side and performing arts prepared her for the pageants in 2013. She was crowned the first runner-up of Mrs Chennai in 2013 and she was crowned the first runner up of Mrs Tamil Nadu in 2015.