Meet our featured beauty with brains Simran Gulati, a model based in Sydney, Australia. She is the reigning Mrs India Global 2018 and Mrs India Australia 2016 – 1st runner up. She is also an actor and a humanitarian who uses her pageant platform to raise awareness about social causes close to her heart. She is the Brand Ambassador for a couture Indian brand, Elysian Desire. Simran is a mother of two and very active in the Indian Australian community where she encourages and supports women in the community by empowering them. Her education background is a Double Degree in Bachelor of Business (Banking and Finance) and Information Technology (Information Systems) from RMIT, Melbourne.
She helps in raising awareness of community issues. She feels there are women who are struggling to juggle their multiple roles in life – a professional, a mother, a wife, a caretaker and many more. There is a lot of stress that comes along with that, and a woman often forgets or selflessly doesn’t think about her mental health while she is busy keeping up with her responsiblities. Simran’s role is to help women individually and in a group environment and connect them with like-minded women to empower them so that they don’t feel that they are alone and connect with others to instill mental stability. She has teamed up with Liptember, an organisation which focuses on women’s mental health and she is currently helping raise funds and looking for ways to raise even further awareness in the Indian community.
She works with the women across the Indian community on a one to one basis and helps them raise their confidence and makes them believe that anyone is capable of achieving anything they set their mind to.
Here is an interview with her.
1. What do you think are the main challenges today in reaching gender equality?
I believe as the world is evolving, we have already made great strides towards reaching gender equality. However, there are still some countries which are trying to reach the status quo. Some of the challenges we face are based on the traditional thinking of where a place of a woman is in this world. I believe it’s about education and challenging the norm to overcome that. Women are always going to have a chip on their shoulder to prove themselves, and I believe it’s a good thing as that gives them an edge and more motivation to prove themselves. The best way to overcome a challenge is to prove you can do it and I believe women all over the world are doing more of this than ever before.
2. Share an experience where you helped/ empowered a woman and it changed her life.
I have worked with many women from all facets of life including women who have been scared to challenge themselves because of what others would think. One experience I would like to share is when I met a woman who was very stressed about her role as a professional, mother, wife, and a caretaker and that affected her mental health. I felt I could relate to her as we are all busy. I spoke to her on a regular basis and gave her tips on how to deal with stress and juggle life roles. I also told her not to forget about taking care of herself. I helped her develop a fitness regime and to take care of her mind and her body. It helped her to challenge herself and to become a better person. By just being there for her and empowering her to look at life through a different lens has helped her excel in all facets of life. Giving your time to someone is the best thing you can do for them.
3. What is your advice to young girls who want to grow up to be beauty queens?
Just be yourself. Beauty isn’t about what is on the outside, it’s about how you are on the inside. Staying true to yourself and having a cleansed mind is the most important part of being a beauty queen. People judge beauty queens on not only appearance but how much difference you can make in lives and the community that surrounds us.
4. What is the most rewarding part of your work?
The most rewarding part of my work has to be the joy that I feel by helping others. It’s nice to see my efforts come to fruition when I am able to make a difference in people’s lives, whether it’s just giving advice or making a difference in the community where a little thing one does can have drastic effect on others.
Empowered Brave Women Building Futures 