Miss Cosmo India Vipra Mehta on Harnaaz Sandhu being on Miss Cosmo International jury: People call me mini Harnaaz

Vipra Mehta was just another girl with a dream to represent India on a global platform, up until last year. But then she won the title of Liva Miss Diva Cosmo India and yesterday, she embarked on her journey to Vietnam to represent the country at the upcoming Miss Cosmo International pageant.

Reflecting on her journey, Vipra Mehta shares, “I was born and brought up in Udaipur, and it is the most beautiful city that I have ever seen. Growing up there, infused in me the simplicity, resilience and deep love for my tradition and my culture. That is something I’m taking forward to my pageant journey too.” She adds, “I tried for more than six times in pageantry but I couldn’t make it. Even at Liva Miss Diva, I was a wild card entry, but through the love and support of people, now I’m sitting at your Miss Cosmo India. My journey has had a lot of challenges but I’m so grateful that God chose me as one of the representatives of India.”

While Vipra admits she led a comfortable life growing up, COVID changed things for her family. “After COVID, my family unfortunately lost everything. That was the time my dad told me that you can buy everything with money, but not the time that you have invested. I used to walk four km every single day, be it through hail, hot summers or the cold winters, for pageant training. Those eight kms back and forth taught me that in my life, there is no option of giving up,” she says.

With this attitude, she is now heading to Miss Cosmo International in Vietnam: “What sets me apart from other 79 countries is that I’m not fighting for the crown, I’m fighting within myself, because I know what I can do and what I can serve my nation. I believe that your mindset can make you win or lose.”

While at the pageant, Vipra feels glad that she will see a familiar face in the jury panel- Miss Universe 2021 Harnaaz Kaur Sandhu. “She’s my inspiration. People say that she is one of the best Miss Universe winners we have had till date, so that’s a legacy I feel inspired by. I’m really happy and excited at the same time to see her in the jury panel. Most people even call me mini Harnaaz Sandhu when I walk,” she gushes.

In times when pageants are losing their value, Vipra insists that they still hold a lot of power and influence. “I don’t think pageantry stands for superficial standards. It actually stands for women empowerment. It is not a place where you just go, be sophisticated and have a good time exploring the world. It’s a place where you have your own opinion, own vision that you are giving to others. It’s a place where you will find different cultures, communities under one shared roof which will teach you a lot of things,” she says, adding that she feels honoured to be associating to a pageant like Miss Cosmo International. “Miss Cosmo treats the pageant as a beauty festival, because they see women for not being perfect, but for being real. They allow you to portray your emotions towards any critical issues. It makes me feel thankful that I am going to an organization where I have my own voice to keep. This organization makes you feel like a winner not just by giving you a title, but by giving you the wings to fly high in the sky,” she asserts.

Using her platform, Vipra wants to advocate for the dying lakes of Udaipur. “Udaipur is famous for its beautiful scenic lakes, palaces and culture. It is also known as the Venice of the East. But slowly, I see that the lakes I used to adore are in so much pain. With things like motor darkening, oil pilling and even the pollution around the lakes, they are losing their beauty. I don’t come from an environmental background, but I’m just someone who cares too much to stay quiet. And that’s how my project, The Guardians of the Lakes began. My project is build upon partnership, not funding. My simple vision is that I just want to make Udaipur a blueprint of a clean city, and I just want to implement this blueprint to every other city where I go. I want that the future generations should see the same kind of beauty that I’ve seen, and it should inherit both a cleaner and a safer environment,” she ends.