Former model, actor and physician, and the first Indian woman to win the Mrs World title in 2001, Aditi Govitrikar has built a career across multiple fields. Often described as ‘beauty with brains’, she holds a medical degree and is also a psychologist. Today, she brings her experience in medicine, psychology, wellness, modelling and pageantry to her work of empowering women and redefining what beauty and success can mean. In an exclusive interview with HT Lifestyle, Aditi Govitrikar opened up on beauty pageants, body image, self-belief, fitness, and women empowerment.
Aditi Govitrikar on building Marvelous Mrs India
After winning the Mrs World title in 2001, Aditi Govitrikar launched Marvelous Mrs India in 2023, a beauty pageant platform dedicated exclusively to married women. Explaining what inspired her to start the pageant, Aditi said, “I felt that I had a lot to offer to women, especially the married lot. After having studied psychology at Harvard, judged about 500 beauty pageants and experienced life as a woman myself, I felt I could create a platform that empowers women to understand themselves, have faith and believe in themselves. As a married woman or mother, one tends to forget the essence of oneself. Knowing yourself and not forgetting who you are will make you a better spouse, mother and human being.”
When asked what sets Marvellous Mrs India apart from other beauty pageants, Aditi highlighted that the platform has no criteria based on weight, height, age or body type. “I want to redefine beauty and take away these criteria because why are we pitching women against each other?” she said.
{{/usCountry}}When asked what sets Marvellous Mrs India apart from other beauty pageants, Aditi highlighted that the platform has no criteria based on weight, height, age or body type. “I want to redefine beauty and take away these criteria because why are we pitching women against each other?” she said.
{{/usCountry}}She also highlighted that after judging several beauty pageants, she felt the authenticity of pageantry had been lost. “Although women were investing a lot of money, effort and resources, they were not getting the training they should as beauty queens. I wanted to do away with that and build an authentic platform, and our crowns are not for sale,” said Aditi.
How Aditi Govitrikar views beauty pageants today
According to Aditi Govitrikar, beauty pageants in the past placed greater emphasis on external beauty, with specific expectations around body type and height. However, her perspective on pageantry has evolved, particularly in response to the growing pressure women face on social media to look a certain way.
“Women are trying to fight this pressure and say, ‘This is who I am, and these are my looks.’ But there’s also a whole section of women being pressured into going under the knife and changing their looks completely, to the point where you don’t even recognise the person. Not eating also leads to many health issues. These are the kinds of pressures that the beauty pageant I have created seeks to move away from,” highlighted Govitrikar.
What success looks like for Marvelous Mrs India
According to Aditi, success for Marvelous Mrs India goes beyond the crowning moment. “It is about assuring women that who they are is enough and celebrating the uniqueness they bring to the world,” she said. For her, true success lies in seeing women rediscover themselves and pursue new dreams, even later in life, as demonstrated by the 72-year-old participant who found a renewed sense of purpose through the platform.
Aditi Govitrikar on wellness and health
As a wellness expert, Aditi described wellness as an amalgamation of physical and mental well-being that helps you feel good about yourself. She also emphasised the importance of staying in touch with your emotions and regularly checking in with yourself to understand how you are genuinely feeling. “When you’re feeling completely fine, jot down things that can help pull you out of a low because everyone goes through ups and downs. Enlist some activities in your journal that can make you feel better when you’re having a difficult day,” Aditi advised.
According to Aditi, power yoga is one of the most misunderstood wellness trends. While it is often treated as a form of exercise similar to strength training or HIIT, Aditi views yoga differently. “Yoga is a union between breath, body and soul, and it needs to be practised in a certain manner. Treating it like a regular exercise doesn’t make sense, and yoga should be practised in its purest form,” she said.
Aditi Govitrikar on social media pressure
In a world increasingly driven by social media comparisons, Aditi highlighted that what people see online does not necessarily reflect what happens behind the scenes. She emphasised that social media largely shows the version of life people choose to share, making it important not to compare your journey with someone else’s curated online presence.
“What is shown on social media is what you want to show. This is true of everybody who is on social media. The cameras are not on 24/7, and your life is not being recorded. When you see someone’s life and feel that yours should be like theirs, you don’t know half of their story,” said Govitrikar.
She advised people not to let someone else’s social media presence influence how they view their own lives. “Everyone’s journey is different, and you can’t ape somebody for everything that is being shown on that person’s social media. That definitely is unhealthy,” she said.
Aditi Govitrikar on graceful ageing
Women are often placed under pressure to ‘age gracefully’, making the journey particularly challenging in their 40s and 50s. Aditi highlighted that ageing is a natural process that begins from the moment we are born and cannot be stopped. However, maintaining a healthy lifestyle can support healthy ageing. “My goal in life is to remain healthy till I die, and I try to do things to make it possible,” she said.