HYDERABAD: Femina Miss India Telangana Urmila Chauhan has had quite the journey and she recollects all the sweet and bittersweet memories — from balancing two jobs to looking at her mother for inspiration — which have made her who she is today
From walking the aisle on aeroplanes to striding down the ramp — every step that Urmila Chauhan, Femina Miss India Telangana, took has led her on an exciting journey. The model reminiscences the same when we caught up with her at the Inter National Institute for Fashion Design (INIFD), Hyderabad, where she was interacting with students who were clearly in awe of her. She recollects her beautiful journey so far and tell us about her struggles, today's beauty standards and how, her mother continues to be her biggest and most solid inspiration.
As our conversation progressed, we learnt that the admiration Urmila draws is not just because of who she is on the outside, but also who she is on the inside, a classic case of "beautiful inside and out". This quality puts her on the fast track to success and she has surely done it all to get where she is — hosting an IPL event in 2018, working as a "regular" model for fashion institutes and designers, essaying minor roles for the big screen and being an air hostess. She also juggled events. But whenever she would have an off, with whatever time she could muster, she would model. This kept her dream alive. And then one day, a friend suggested that she enrol in a beauty pageant and the rest, as they say, is history. So, that's the story behind how the youngster took part and won Miss India Telangana.
"I remember telling my mother that I would be working and then I ended up giving an audition in Bengaluru. There were so many people from Telangana but I wasn't going to give up, I was waiting for the result. Soon I was selected in the top 11. Then finally, I became the representative," says Urmila. A jubilant and positive response from her parents spurred her on even further.
The model also goes on to talk about "beauty standards" and how, "Our generation is so fast, we have make-up for everything and there is tough competition everywhere. Looking at others, we feel we are lacking somewhere, I did too. After all, beauty pageants are every girl's dream. But looking beautiful is not the only factor," says the model candidly. But she put all this behind her and let the rigour of pursuing two jobs, that of an air hostess and a model, kick in. "I have always had a busy schedule with hectic work hours. I got very less time for sleeping and even the final audition was a tough task. It wasn't easy to take up two jobs at a time but otherwise, it was quite good," she says, looking back.
It is Urmila's mother who has been her constant source of inspiration. With four girls and a boy in the family, things were tough growing up. "My father is a businessman and would be out of town for work. My mother would take care of us and manage our lives. It was a big deal for my mother as she used to wake up early and cook for us," she shares. And now, every time the model recollects her childhood, she thinks of how, "If my mother would have dedicated herself to any work, she would have been an achiever. I wanted the same," she points out.
There is no stopping Urmila anymore. She has her eyes set on the future, now that the first step has been good. "I was one of the state finalists and now, I represent the state. I would say when you reach heights, there is no stopping you. I want to achieve more, move forward and just not stop," she says and signs off.