Binita Kar Dewali won 1st runner up from Gold category of Reigning Mrs. India beauty pageant recently. The journey for this confessed overweight girl and a doting mother hasn’t been easy. She has time and again worked on her mind & body to be a certified Nutritionist-Fitness Expert. Here she talks about her fitness journey & winning the crown.
You belong to which City?
Binita Kar Dewali – My dad retired from the Indian Navy, so my family traveled across India before settling down in Pune. Most of my education is from colleges and Institutes in Pune. So, I consider myself a Punekar.
Binita Kar Dewali is a qualified chemical engineer. How did she get into Nutrition, Fitness & Modelling?
Binita Kar Dewali – Sometimes, destiny pushes you into doing things. I have worked in various fields, be it Engineering, Financial service, data quality. Post-partum, I quit my job as my husband travels for work & I wanted to be there for my son. It was then I realized my love for nutrition and fitness. I saw so many young mothers struggling over various issues, health and fitness being one of them.
Not to mention the “ghee culture” post-partum adds more woes. I wanted to encourage women around me to take care of themselves, their health, mental and physical. I loved to share tit-bits of nutrition and fitness, and venturing to study further eradicated some myths that I held for long.
As for the pageant, I had never thought of participating in one until Monica Shaikh of Reigning Mrs. India encouraged me to do so. Not only was it an incredible opportunity but an excellent experience for me. For most of my life, I have been a tomboy.
Have you always been fitness-oriented?
Binita Kar Dewali – No. Not at all! I have always been into sports, but fitness was never featured as a top priority. Also, being an Odiya, my love for sweets was in the genes. My actual journey towards being fit started when I was in engineering. I reached my peak weight and couldn’t do that one thing I loved doing most, Dance.
I got tired fast, and it became a task to lift myself and do something physically challenging. I realized this had to change. At that time, the affair with fitness was very short-lived as academics took up most of my time and energy. Though I managed to maintain my weight, I knew something was missing. Post-partum, I went into the depths of nutrition and fitness, did a certification, transformed myself, and successfully imbibed a lifestyle where I can keep the weight at bay.
A fitness journey is never easy for anyone who has achieved a certain level of fitness. It takes loads of time, energy, and patience to see your body transform. You are dieting, working out hard, balancing your everyday responsibilities with women, and going through hormonal ups and downs throughout the month. There are times when you don’t want to do it. It is when discipline helps. Keep going. In the end, the result is just so worth it.
How has the beauty queen pageant impacted your life?
Binita Kar Dewali – I never had stage fear. I was shy sometimes in front of the camera. Here, on this platform, though, I was face to face with prominent personalities from their respective fields. Not only does beauty count, but you need to be witty and brainy with empathy and show your level of perceptions during various rounds. It’s not just walking in heels; it’s about carrying yourself gracefully.
It’s about taking care of yourself while also thinking about others and helping them. It has been a very different experience in my life. So many women from different backgrounds come and compete. It’s beautiful because it has grains of courage in it for women to come ahead, leave their fears behind, learn and teach and then face the world and say aloud what they think.
How did you manage between preparing for the pageant and being a full-time mother?
Binita Kar Dewali – The only thing that kept me going in my mind was that I need to give my best. The days preceding the pageant were hectic as my son met with an accident and had stitches on his forehead. My day usually looks something like this: I wake up around 6. Prepare breakfast and lunch for us. Prepare my son’s tiffin. Drop my son off at school, go to the gym for an hour.
Come back home, finish the remaining chores, do some client work, go down to pick my son. Post that, my time is devoted to my son, helping him finish homework, playing with him, feeding him lunch. Then I get some time for myself when he takes a nap. I finish any pending work for clients, study. By then, it’s 4, my son wakes up, and again, it’s him and me. He makes sure that I otherwise also stay active, which has also helped me in my fitness journey.
Would you please tell us about your food and fitness routine?
Binita Kar Dewali – I eat regular food and the same food day in and day out except on weekends, but even then, I make sure I don’t binge. The lifestyle that I lead is very inclusive of food groups; nothing is an absolute no; however, junk food, fried items, and treats are taken as treats and do not replace daily nutritious food.
Have you encountered criticism from people regarding your weight, especially as a kid? How did you deal with it?
Binita Kar Dewali – As a kid, YES. Not much as an adult. Post engineering, I maintained my weight, and the only time I gained weight was during pregnancy. And honestly, at this juncture, I don’t care about what people think or say. People will always say something; if you are very fit, they will say, “She has all the time in the world to go to the gym,” and if she is not, they will have various nicknames.
I believe it depends on what you want and if you want it bad enough, do it. As a child, yes, I was teased, but my love for food trumped my torment. I was criticized sometimes brashly, and sometimes people were genuinely concerned. I was factually an overweight kid almost my entire childhood until I hit my highest during my engineering.
How have the reactions post-winning been – from family and friends?
Binita Kar Dewali – They are proud. And that sense of pride gives me immense satisfaction. That feeling associated with someone who has won a title gives them happiness, and I am happy to see them happy and smiling. It seems worthwhile.
How has your husband supported you all through?
Binita Kar Dewali – Mine is a love cum arranged marriage. For most of his life, my husband lived in Pune and came from a defense family. He is from Uttarakhand, as I am from Odisha. He has been, is, and will be rock-solid support in everything I have thought of doing or did or want to do, as is my family. My in-laws were very supportive of this venture and truly wished me luck in every sense.
What are your plans? Do you want to participate in other pageants and take up modeling full time?
Binita Kar Dewali – I am looking forward to working more in this field, and I will take up assignments and how they come. Somethings are lined up, and when something concrete happens, it will be announced. I want to show people that muscular women can be graceful too. Being feminine and having grace has nothing to do with your musculature.
How important do you think fitness is for all of us? Especially for Kids?
Binita Kar Dewali – The one thing that stays with you until you depart is your body. It takes so much abuse in terms of food and lethargy. It’s astonishing. The way you treat your body now is precisely how your body will treat you as you age. Your kids are watching you. The rise of obese kids is disturbing. The inculcation of junk food, sweets, fried stuff as daily treats coupled with the rise in inactivity levels of kids has been a significant cause for this.
Children are supposed to be active, play and jump. They enact what they see. It’s our responsibility & should be made a priority to teach them the importance of staying fit. One thing that I would want to emphasize is that fitness is not limited to the gym. It’s a way of life. Be more active, eat mindfully, eat healthy, limit intake of junk, play with children, and if your situation permits, join a gym or do any activity that you love. Take care of your body and mind.
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