Pooja Kumar

• Tamil Nadu

• A brief about yourself and how you describe your personality and persona.

I am Pooja Kumar. Being a small-town girl from Patna, it keeps me rooted in my culture and helps me embrace a simple yet a passionate life. The Journey of my life includes a bachelor degree in Textiles designing and management from pearl academy of fashion New Delhi and post marriage, a master’s degree in luxury fashion brand management from UK. I rejoice the motherhood of my only son Tejas, who is a one and half year old, and it is this motherhood which motivates me every day, enables me to embrace time management and instills in me an extreme sense of compassion. I am married to a decorated Army Officer who is not only my strength but a great companion and a guide, who believes, there are no hard times which can’t be overcome and no losing battles which can’t be won. At present, I am curating my own digital magazine meant for creative, independent and passionate women. I want to explore the impossibilities and to that end, work diligently to the best of my capabilities. I am a people’s person and working in teams comes naturally to me, perhaps because I have studied in multi-cultural community. I dream of writing inspirational books on women empowerment and more than anything else I believe in giving back to the society where I belong. I would strive to learn new things and grow as a person. What defines me is, practical, down to earth, creative and organized women with a vision of entrepreneurs who feel alive each day and endeavors to achieve new heights in life.

• Your achievements that makes you feel high.

Each one of my achievements so far has been memorable to me and has broadened my horizon because I believe all our dreams can turn into reality if we have the courage to pursue them. It begins from graduating with flying colors and getting scholarships for my masters, to being selected as the international development officer in my college in UK. I aspire to add incredible glory in my life by winning this pageant, and it surely will make me feel high. Above all, being a mother is phenomenally one of my greatest achievements.

• Define the true beauty.

True beauty is not just a manifestation of one’s physical appearance. Being beautiful means to be yourself and treat others with respect and compassion.

• What makes a complete, healthy and happy family for you?

A family, where its members spend quality time with love, be together in times of fun and crisis and share everything without any hesitation is a complete, healthy and happy family.

• What is your favorite idea of holidaying?

A perfect vacation, in my opinion is a vacation which is thoroughly enjoying and refreshing, a place where I could explore new culture and click plenty of photographs to cherish.

• Why you are participating in Mrs. India Queen of Substance?

Successful women have always inspired me and some of them are the former Mrs. India queens of substance. They have braved all the odds of our society to excel in their respective fields and earn a name for themselves. “Mrs. India queen of substance” is an incredible platform which is not restricted to external beauty but, goes much beyond to identify all round personality of a participant highlighting the actual essence of being a woman. Above all these, the collaboration of “MIQS” with HCWA has motivated me to participate in this pageant as it is associated with social cause and believes in giving back to the society.

• What bothers you most about what is happening in the country today?

What bothers me the most is that the country is facing social and economic inequality. To narrow the gap between the rich and poor and reduce this inequality, we need to embrace broad access to quality education as our strongest social value. It is a cornerstone for improving both social justice and economic productivity. However, education is not the responsibility of governments and the education sector alone, but should be positioned as a core concern of the entire community, including families, business and other organizations.

• The Quote or saying that encourages you?

A famous quote of Michelle Obama inspires me a lot “Always stay true to yourself and never let what somebody says distract you from your goals”.

• What is true Sportsmanship for you?

For me true sportsmanship is the perfect amalgamation of character, responsibility, attitude and ethics.

• If you are selected as a Charity Ambassador what value addition would you like to make for our society and how?

I would spread the light of literacy because it can help in development of society, eradicating poverty and spreading awareness on various issues. “It is necessary to spread the message of ‘Each One Teach One’ in today's era. I believe that unless members of the society are involved proactively in the process of development, sustainable change will not happen