Mrs India SA finalist: ‘I’ve got curves and bumps’
Neetasheni Devnarain’s curves, bumps and love handles did not hold her back from entering this year’s Mrs India SA pageant of which, today, she is a finalist.
“I represent the curvy, slightly overweight women and if I win Mrs India SA, the message sent would be that this pageant sees no weight or size, but rather looks at the worth and what’s inside of an individual,” said Devnarain.
Devnarain (38) was born in Durban wh,ere she lived for 28 years.
She was married in 2005 and moved to Boksburg, where she’s been living for the past decade.
Devnarain has been widowed for three years and has a nine-year-old son, Rishabh Devnarain.
She’s completing her BCompt Degree through Unisa and is employed as a general manager (BBBEE auditor) for a company named BEE Matrix SA (Pty) Ltd.
Her hobbies include watching movies, shopping, dancing, playing a bit of sport, cooking and taking her son to do motorsports.
The Mrs India SA pageant is part of an NPO named SHE Force (Pty) Ltd and entails a Western and an Eastern segment, a talent item performed by the contestant, and one-on-one interviews.
The organisation is very much involved in community development and woman empowerment and qualifies as a socio economic beneficiary.
“I want to use this platform to help to encourage and support young single mothers who are widowed or left alone to deal with the challenges of life and growing their kids; taking the role of a mother and father and dealing with the pressures that one faces on a day-to-day basis,” said Devnarain.
Devnarain was widowed at the age of 35, after being married for only six years.
“Never did I ever imagine that I would be thrown in deep waters to deal with this tragic moment, pick up the pieces and grow up a child,” she said.
“It was the hardest moment in my life and I know what I felt and went through.
”Today I am so much stronger and this is what I want to pass on to other women who have been through what I have been through.”
Devnarain will be joining SHE Force, as the vision is to set up a shelter in Johannesburg and Durban for destitute women and also a centre that provides support and counselling.
Charity work she has done so far includes the Big Walk fund-raising with Martin School, providing bread and milk to previously disadvantage individuals and providing a sponsorship to the animal shelter in Edenvale.
She also practices giving to a children’s home every three months.
“That is a norm in my household; I also involve my son a lot, as I am trying to teach him the value of things and the difficult times some kids experience and go through,” she said.
The last charitable deed she did before the pageant was on Sunday, August 2, when she fed the Nazareth Children’s Home, in Yeoville.
What she has enjoyed most of her journey as a Mrs India SA finalist was meeting the various contestants, the various activities in which they were required to get involved, preparation for the main event – mostly getting the talent right, and getting the recognition as a finalist.
“This pageant has made me feel good about myself, it has made me look beyond my appearance and believe in my true self,” she said.
She believes that she has a lot to offer other woman, as she has faced many challenges in her life and survived.
Should she win, she would use her title, together with SHE Force, to develop and reach women who are less fortunate than herself.
“I know SHE Force has a unique vision in community development and woman empowerment which I would strongly get involved in,” she said.
“There are so many women who lose faith, lose hope, have hidden worries and stress, and have no solutions.”
Devnarain wants to be someone who can make a difference.
“Every day you meet friends, people, colleagues and every one of them has some sort of worry or concern or problem; we all hide it and it kills us inside,” she explained.
“I want to be that person they can come to, because I, too, have been through and still am going through what they are facing. No people are different from each other; we are all one, just placed in different situations.
“Ultimately, it would be great for women to be acknowledged and respected in South Africa, for the violence to stop and for us to be honoured the way we should be honoured.”
Devnarain wishes her fellow contestants all the best for the pageant, on August 15, at Sibaya Casino, KwaZulu-Natal. – @IschkeBoksburg
