For Wing Commander Shruti Chauhan, it was a total cultural shift, from lacing up her boots to walking on the ramp in six-inch heels. After 16 years of distinguished service as a transport pilot in the Indian Air Force, Wing Commander Chauhan was in the spotlight at the Mrs India Inc World Beauty Pageant 2021, held in the last week of January, where she was the second runner-up.

Now, she will be representing India at the Mrs Galaxy competition, scheduled to be held in Chicago in August.

She said that, “One of my juniors had suggested that I take part in the pageant but at the time I did not take it seriously. They registered me for the pageant because of the confidence they had, and it was in the auditions that I told myself that it is something I should buckle up for. But when I jumped into it, I went all in for it”.

The 38-year-old Wing Commander was an exceptional case as not only did she take part in a pageant, but did so while serving in the defence forces.

It was a struggle for her as the organisation was supportive but at the same time she did not want it to affect my work of a transport pilot in the Indian Air Force. She had the desire to participate in the competition and to win it.

While the Mrs India Inc World Beauty Pageant 2021 was originally scheduled for June last year, it was postponed due to COVID-19 pandemic.

Wing Commander Chauhan said that they were trained online for a little over two months and the ramp walk practice happened a week before the competition.

Talking about her preparations for Mrs Galaxy and representing India, she stated that, “We are working on our physical fitness and we also have to keep pushing the social cause that we work for. Apart from that, we also have to look for sponsors as unlike the Miss India counterparts, the pageant for married women is a little difficult. Mrs India, fortunately, was conducted in time as well as safely. But other countries are yet to come out of the worst of the pandemic, and their competitions have not been held”.