INDIAN PAGEANTS THAT ARE BREAKING BARRIERS

For the physically challenged: Mr & Miss Wheelchair India; Mr & Miss Disability India

First held in 2015; organised by Mumbai-based Sounak Banerjee, a wheelchair-bound chartered accountant. Open to single and married people aged 18 to 45. Banerjee is looking for sponsors and funding for the 2017 editions.

For the LGBTQI: Trans Queen Contest North East, Queen of Dhwayah

Trans Queen Contest North East was conceived in 2010 and accepts applications from transgender women registered as residents in the seven states of northeast India.

Manipur also has a state-level event called Miss Manipur Queen for Transgender.

In June, Kerala hosted its first pageant for trans women, titled Queen of Dhwayah, to generate awareness beyond the community

For the plussized: Ms Plus Size North India, Miss & Mrs Curvy Queen

Women with a waist size of 34 or more, aged 21 to 40, may participate in MPSNI . Auditions were held in Ludhiana, Chandigarh, Jalandhar and Delhi early this year. 2017 also saw the first edition of MMCQ. 15 finalists from Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, and Hubli took part in the event. Women aged 18 to 50, married and unmarried, may participate. Although there are no stated height and weight restriction, “small and medium-sized women are not eligible”.

Mrs India Home Makers

Conceptualised by transgender model Naaz Joshi, MIHM is open to women over 21 who have been married for at least six months.

The aim is to offer a platform to married women who’ve had little time for themselves after marriage and children. The first edition, in 2016, had Mary Kom as chief guest.

The pageant has a special category for women over 35 named ‘Mrs India Home Makers Classic’. Participants have signed up from across the country, including Delhi, Meghalaya and Assam.

Miss Arunachal

This 10-year-old beauty pageant is statesponsored, with an eye on celebrating the unique cultures of its tribes.

The ‘Mrs’ equivalent of the same contest is perhaps even more of a standout. It serves as a platform for survivors of child marriage, domestic abuse, polygamy. 59-year-old Hage Tado Nanya, who was married at 13, was Mrs Arunachal 2016.

The contest also has sub-categories such as ‘Mrs Versatile’, ‘Mrs Beautiful Heart’, ‘Mrs Kindhearted’, and ‘Mrs Best Story’.