By Puja Gupta

New Delhi, Sep 25 (IANSlife): Participating in beauty pageants not only boosts the confidence of the candidates, but also helps them step back into the world as transformed and poised persons who dared to dream, says Barkha Nangia, director of Glamour Gurgaon, which organises the Mrs India - Pride of Nation pageant in Gurugram.

In its third edition, Mrs India - Pride of Nation 2019 saw 90 married women from across the country vying for the crown. Saloni Bhakri from Maharashtra and Pooja Desai from Gujarat won the title in two different categories.

Nangia says the idea behind the event is to give married women a platform to showcase their talent.

"After marriage women tend to lose their drive. But this is an opportunity for them to realise their dreams and show the world what they are made of. Some contestants are successful in their professions, for them and for others Mrs India - Pride of Nation is a platform to recognise their inner and outer potential. After participating in the pageant, they go on to live as confident women who can achieve anything they set their mind on," she adds.

The pageant also trains participants in fashion, personality, etiquette, beauty, health and well-being through workshops and seminars by experts from these fields, says Nangia.

"Thanks to this grooming, most contestants and winners from the previous editions of the pageant have landed with opportunities to ramp walk in fashion weeks, model with leading fashion houses, work in daily soaps, advertisements and films," she adds.