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Journey to the title of Mrs. India 2024 – An exclusive interview with Mary Stella Michael
Mary Stella Michael from Andhra Pradesh has been selected as one of the finalists for the 2024 Mrs. India beauty pageant organized by the Glamanand Group. Born in Srikakulam, Andhra Pradesh, Mary is currently based in Ranchi, Jharkhand. She holds a master’s degree in social work and a bachelor’s degree in education and is a social activist, entrepreneur and educationist. She has been part of several events and ceremonies including Jharkhand Youth Icon and Kolhan Ka Gaurav - Pride of the Society. Mary is a polyglot and can speak 5 languages including English, Hindi, Telugu, Tamil and Bengali. In this exclusive interview with the Beauty High magazine, she talks about her preparations for the Mrs. India 2024 beauty pageant and her journey so far.
Q. Many congratulations to you for getting selected for the national finals of Mrs. India 2024 competition. How does it feel? What were the first thoughts that crossed your mind when you got the news that you have gotten selected to compete at the 2024 Mrs. India contest?
Answer: Thank you. To be honest, it feels surreal. It is like a childhood dream come true. I feel elated to finally be able to live the dreams that a little girl in me had. Truly it's a magical feeling. I'm super excited for the journey ahead. To tell the fact I was very confident that I'll be able to get a position among the selected candidates but when I finally received the selection email I re-read it twice just to make sure if it was true. The first thing that came to my mind was that I've achieved everything in life with my dedication and I'll achieve this too.
Q. Tell us more about the place you belong to.
Answer: I am basically from a small town in Andhra Pradesh called Srikakulam but for the past 24 years I have been based in Ranchi in Jharkhand, a state that is the land of Birsa Munda, a land of greens and beautiful waterfalls. A land that gave us a legend in the form of Mahendra Singh Dhoni and a place where I've lived the most productive years of my life. As beautifully located geographically, Ranchi is also a land of people with warm and simple hearts. It's a land where simplicity and culture reign supreme. Ranchi is well connected with all the major cities of the country and has an amazing and growing economy. People are helpful, far sighted and ever smiling in this beautiful city. I feel privileged to belong to such a wonderful city.
Q. Please take us through the significant milestones in your life and how they have shaped you as the person you are today.
Answer: There are a few milestones in my life that are worth mentioning. Born to parents belonging to different religions and then coping and keeping both the traditional values intact was difficult for me. However I did it and I consider that as my first milestone. Married at a young age of 17, I couldn't raise my voice against child marriage. I was married off to a person much older than me. In that relationship too, I was a victim of domestic violence, abuse and torture that made me take up a decision to file for a divorce. Filing for a divorce and moving out of my house with my two children who were really young at that time was another milestone that I had achieved. I call it a milestone because of the courage I had showcased in that low point of my life. Another milestone is when I decided to have my own school in a small town, Chakradharpur in Jharkhand. Today I have managed to have my own school which is affiliated to the ICSE board that provides students with quality education and works for the underprivileged too. I believe that every child deserves to have quality education irrespective of the family he/she is born into. Talking about equality in education, I realised there was no scope of education for the special children. I started with the Louisa's School of hope named after my mother Mrs. Louisa Narayan, and provided them with free education and transport along with medical facilities. I had children coming to the school in all fours and when they left after a considerable period of time, seeing them walk straight on their own feet and improving in such beautiful ways, made me actually find my purpose in life. I wanted to give into the society and while looking at the plight of women and with my own experience I knew I had to do something for the women in need, hence I started with my own NGO called Streeone India that aims at educating, enhancing and empowering girls and women of all age groups. That I would consider as one of my greatest milestones. I had at a very early age, discovered that my country is very special to me. As a child while the national anthem was sung, my heart would swell with pride and honour for the country and hence I wanted to give in to the country in maximum ways. I decided to join the Indian politics and I am currently the spokesperson of Congress at The Ranchi Mahanagar. Despite people telling me that the future of women in politics is not very positive, me being a revolutionary I wanted to change that thought and hence I'd consider this another important milestone in my life. I am actually very grateful for all the adversities that I've faced in life because it is through them that I'm stronger today. It's through the people who have tried to put me down that I rise higher every single day. I'm glad that the problems have only made me more resilient and dedicated towards my goal and I am also sure about the fact that the road ahead is not going to be easy too but then with the correct mindset and with good intentions in my heart I know there is nothing that can stop me from winning the world.
Q. What are your hobbies and areas of interests, and how do you manage them with the responsibilities that you shoulder?
Answer: My hobbies in particular would be going out and meeting people of an intellectual mindset. I like communicating with new people, engaging in productive discussions that would lead to a productive outcome. My areas of interest would primarily be education, social work and activism, politics, patriotism towards the nation. I believe that if you are passionate about things, you learn to prioritize and balance them. It's indeed true that I do have a lot of responsibilities on me but then I make sure I set my priorities straight and work according to what needs my utmost attention at the moment followed by things that can be catered to later. This I believe is very important: to prioritize your engagements.
Q. Please tell us about your family and the role they play in your life
Answer: I thank God every day of my life, to grant me a family that knows me through and through. I feel my biggest strength throughout my journey is my husband who has been a silent cheerleader. His love for me is shown in numerous ways and I'm forever grateful to him for always being there for me and choosing me over and over again with the same love and the same patience. I'm also blessed with three beautiful children, the eldest being my daughter who is 23 years old now. She teaches me to be in sync with the ongoing trends and to be the updated mother the world needs. She gives me the strength to face everything in life. Following her is my son who is 18 years old, my pillar and my shield. The kind of son, every mother deserves. He's someone who would fight the world to stand next to me and last but not the least, the most talkative yet beautiful, Scarlett, my youngest of the three. She keeps me high on days when I'm the lowest. Her smile makes my day and while there are days when I don't get to see her an entire day, at night while she cuddles up to me, all the anxiety, all the tension, just disappears. They say having your own sibling is a blessing, but I'm blessed with having my cousin, Maria with me who is more than my sister to me. She believes in me for who I am. She makes me believe that I can win this world and it's her trust in me that makes me a stronger version of myself every day. It's because of these people in my life that my life seems pretty amazing and a little less complicated.
Q. Balancing personal, professional, and family responsibilities can be challenging. How do you manage this delicate balance in your life?
Answer: Indeed it is difficult to manage everything together and to be at par with everything at the same time. Sometimes you need to let go of things you enjoy because you need to think that you have other responsibilities to fulfill but for me I believe in doing things at the right time and enjoying the moment I currently live in. I don't worry about the past, I don't think too much about the future, I just live in the present moment, enjoy it and live it to the fullest. I also believe that if you really wish to do and achieve things in life you must be driven towards it and hence I keep chasing it until I get it.
Q. What is the most crucial piece of advice that you would like to share with the women of this era?
Answer: The only thing that I've learnt from my experience in life and would like to share it with the women of today's world is to be independent: mentally, financially, socially and in every other way possible. It is the need of the hour. Women must be truly independent and should dare to dream and not only dare to dream but dare to achieve those dreams. Women must be well informed, skilled and updated about everything that is currently trending in order to be at par with the society.
Q. Lastly, any message for the readers.
Answer: . For everyone who is reading this, I truly believe that all of you are created beautifully and all of you have a purpose in life to fulfill. Let us all find that purpose in life. Let us all be humble, treat people with equality and love everyone around us, be it the rich or the poor. Let us all create a society that is not fortified by walls of religion, caste, creed or sex but a world that is enclosed in love, peace and empathy.
Soon, she will be seen walking down the runway at the upcoming edition of Mrs. India beauty pageant. As she prepares for this prestigious event, we wish her all the very best for her journey
