Behind Mrs India International Nusrat Parveen’s crown lies the fight against acute depression and personal struggle against her 'bigamous' husband.
From an unsuccessful attempt to commit suicide to the winner of Mrs India International 2018, the 36-year-old single Kashmiri mother of three children settled in Maharashtra is now scaling new horizons to live her dreams.
“I was an ordinary housewife who always focused on her family, husband and children. I never thought beyond that. As life progressed, my husband started distancing from me. Last year, I received a shock of my life when I came to know that my husband has solemnised second marriage. First I could not believe it, but when the truth dawned I became emotionally broke,” Nusrat told DNA.
Such was the mental and emotional trauma that she tried to end her life but was miraculously saved. Life changed for better when her sister and daughter counselled her to move on and explore life in a positive manner. One fine day she stumbled upon the advertisement calling for applications for Mrs India International event and there was no looking back.
“I submitted the form online and luckily I was selected. I went to Bangalore for the auditions. Some days later I received a mail that I have been selected and the next destination is Goa for a photoshoot. After passing the hurdle we flew to Malaysia. We had a grooming session and other rounds. And finally, I was declared the winner of Mrs India International 2018 in July,” she said.
Life in between however was tough as she sold her jewellery to meet the expenditure related to the event. “I had no money as I was contesting a case in the court against my husband. I needed money for submitting the fee and buying some clothes. I sold my jewellery of Rs 2.5 lakh to meet the cost,” she said.
Money was not the only problem; the language barrier was another hiccup. Nusrat could understand English but was not able to speak it properly. So during the question-answer rounds, she spoke in Hindi and that turned the tide.
“I am not confident in speaking English because I had not ventured out of my home. I was literally caged in my home. I was not able to speak. I was literally dumb. My confidence level was not high,” she said.
Born in Yaripora in South Kashmir’s Kulgam district, Nusrat’s father was in defence and therefore she lived in Maharashtra for 20 years. “All my relations are in Kashmir. I visit every year to meet my relations. I have been proudly saying that I am the daughter of Kashmir and daughter-in-law of Maharashtra,” she said.
Since she won her title in July, there is no looking back. She is being called to chair the functions as chief guest. She was recently in Srinagar to attend Kashmir Festival. And offers too are coming for the promotion of different products. “I have been offered to do an advert for Mineral Water Company in Kashmir,” she said.
MAHA CONNECTION
Born in Yaripora in South Kashmir’s Kulgam district, Nusrat’s father was in defence and therefore she lived in Maharashtra for 20 years. “All my relations are in Kashmir. I visit every year to meet my relations. I have been proudly saying that I am the daughter of Kashmir and daughter-in-law of Maharashtra,” she said.
