Mrs. India-Queen of Substance holds an annual pageant in two different categories to identify married Indian women who exemplify not just various tenets of beauty but also other attributes that make an individual worthy.

This year’s annual pageant saw participation of women from across the country. One such participant who stood out and even won 3 titles was Shalini Rai, a homemaker turned fashion icon who now owns a luxury fashion brand, Signature Wardrobes.

The 2019 pageant hosted at ITC, Dwarka Delhi by TV anchor Man Verma. The jury included yesteryear Bollywood celebrity Mahima Chaudhry. They all celebrated Shalini for her courage in overcoming hardships and challenges that marred her way onto becoming an independent woman.

Shalini belonged to a conservative family in Gorakhpur. She had joined the Army but could not continue in the job and she was married off early. Shalini claims to have been one of the best shooters in her Army regiment, and had also won the Mavalankar trophy once.

Almost a decade after her marriage, she mustered the courage to start a career. She started designing and launched her own fashion brand, which now has associations with the Pinkshe institution where she helps raise awareness among young underprivileged women on use of sanitary napkins and personal hygiene. “I want to give back to society especially to women who are not as fortunate as me to have a partner who helped in fulfilling my dreams.” she said.
Rai, who won Mrs. Compassionate, Beauty with purpose and Pride of North, shared her story.

“I am addicted to facing new challenges,” says the owner of the luxury fashion brand, Signature Wardrobes. “I have been part of the world of glamour designing exclusive western and Indian wear for celebrities. I never took care my health. Was overweight and had stage fear. But this time the challenge was not only to lose weight but also fit into what I designed for celebrities. Have that perfect body.”

Shalini lost over 15 kg in three months in a healthy way to participate in the pageant. “I completely switched to a healthy diet and regular exercise and weight training. I also worked hard on beating my stage fear.”