“Some people dream of success, while other people get up every morning and make it happen.” Ashutosh from Gurugram truly surfed on the crest of a wave as he bagged the first ever title of the Mr. India Plus beauty pageant held on 28th February, 2021 at the Delhi Glitz Weston Inn Hall in New Delhi.
While Ashutosh definitely made the cut in every possible way: academic or co-curricular, his journey was never easy. Ashutosh has impaired hearing since birth, but he clearly never allowed these factors to encumber his path to success and emerged triumphant in every conquest.
A stellar student since childhood, Ashutosh completed his schooling from Delhi Public School, Maruti Kunj, Gurugram. He secured his B.com(Hons) from Hansraj College, Delhi University. An MBA from IIM Lucknow added another feather to his cap. The 28-year-old prodigy is currently working as an Associate Manager for IndusInd Bank.
The MS Beauty Pageant was organized for the first time for plus-sized candidates on 28th February, 2021. The competition was fared in several stages, wherein the top 10 most dynamic contenders were pitted against one another in the final round. Ashutosh clashed with these titans in a sprightly climax and was declared as Mr. India Plus 2021. Ashutosh is what we call an ‘inspiration’. Ashutosh is an amalgamation of talent, diligence and ambition. While he already has accolades to his name, there is much glory awaiting him. He has stretched his limitations to become his strengths and has never let them daunt him. Ashutosh is a real winner; he is ‘not someone who never fails, but someone who never quits.’
Monomousumi Services is overjoyed to have the very deft and talented Mr. Ashutosh in our midst. Thank you so much Ashutosh for your time. We are sure that just like us, there are numerous others who are smitten by you and who would love to know more about your endeavors and aspirations. All of us want to know the ingredients behind your success.
1. You have accomplished many seemingly-impossible feats at a young age while facing some genuine speech issues. What is your success mantra? How did you deal with the impairment as you worked towards subjugating your horizons?
Reply: The one mantra that has been a part of my life since long is “Nothing is Impossible”. This single phrase has been a supporting pillar of my journey so far. Every time I was posed a challenge, I started my journey with this phrase and put that extra effort, one extra mile, one more minute before thinking of giving up. I would not say it was easy at any point in time, but it certainly was enjoyable with this mindset. Sometimes I won, the other times I learned, but never felt that any impairment could prove me weaker. Regarding the impairment, I always tell myself to behave as if I have none. This not only makes me feel less than anyone but also makes me grounded that I am no special.
2. You have always been inclined towards academics, you have a B.Com(Hons) and an MBA from 2 prestigious colleges and you are employed at a stable position in a reputed company. What propelled you towards this beauty pageant? Had it always been your goal or did you do it for fun?
Reply: Since childhood, I was good at academics but my passion lied in the field of drama and fashion industry. I was always fascinated by the hardworking people in this field. Being impaired in speech, expressions were my only tool to portray this interest of mine to people. I worked on this aspects over the years and fortunately IIM Lucknow provided me with the platform through the dramatics club “Abhivyakti” which was not only praised by a lot of people, but also made me realize how I missed this part so much in my entire life. This beauty pageant is not for fun, definitely it is the outcome of all these years of efforts, yet another chance to challenge myself.
3. “Everyone needs a house to live in, but a supportive family is what builds a home”. What role have your parents and family-members played in your stardom? How did they help in polishing your persona and making you what you are today?
Reply: If I say, without my parent’s support I would have been nothing, then this is no exaggeration. Since childhood they have been day and night working towards my growth. I was born deaf in 1992. My parents were very happy as I was their first child and seemed to be a happy and healthy baby. It was only after I completed one year of age that my parents found out about my hearing and speaking problem. At that time, my mother was working as an economics-lecturer. She left the job so that she could take proper care of me.
For my treatment and speech enhancement therapy, my parents used to take me to Ganga Ram Hospital daily which used to be 35 KM away from my home. Doctors told my mother that your child needs dedication and if another child comes, he may not get the attention crucial for his development. And my parents said, it would never happen. Up to 9th standard I used to go there on a daily basis and it turned out that I was my parent’s only focus of life whom they followed more religiously than God at times!
I was a student of DPS from Nursery to 12th class, which is a normal school. During my schooling I have struggled a lot due to some teachers who always urged my parents to put me in a special school where I would be around the so called more people like me and it would be easier for me to study. It was as if they were reluctant to take the responsibility of going an extra mile with me, when I was running a marathon for a normal life. But my parents were very adamant and never thought of putting me in a special school as they wanted to raise me just like any other normal child or even better. In spite of my hearing problem, I grew up as a normal child and read in a school with normal children as there is no special society for people like me to live in, and therefore everyone needs to be treated the same. The real meaning of collective conscience would be the day when people meet people like me with no other expressions or emotions than a normal counterpart.
4. Ashutosh, you are an inspiration to many now. But 10-12 years ago, you were just an ambitious teenager. Who was/is your role-model? How did he/she encourage you to pursue your dreams? How did you keep yourself driven and motivated?
Reply: With time, I have realised that with strong determination and hard work I would be able to overcome all the difficulties that come in the way of my aim. No matter how much extra labour and time life demands, I work hard to achieve my goals. I always admire Mahendra Singh Dhoni for his quality of being patient and focused when the world around him panics and thinks what all can go wrong, and Dhoni silently behind the stumps focus only on what all can be made best out of the situation at hand. Believe me, we have never met so far but he has guided me all these years as a big brother. Now people recognize me as a person who is always smiling and they ask how someone can be so happy all the time. I believe in the school of thought that in every situation that is in front of you, you have two choices, one is to criticize the others and ask God why me? And the other one is that thanking God and say try me. I prefer to be happy as a choice and thus this attitude of taking challenges as opportunities have made me achieve the milestones I set for myself.
5. We are sure that this massive honor is just one of the many set in store for you. What more are you aiming for, Ashutosh? What will be your next arena and where will we see you perform next? Where do you see yourself in the upcoming decade?
Reply: I believe that this beautiful milestone is just the beginning of the journey. I don’t know where will life take me in the coming years, but if it moves in the direction of dramatics and fashion world, I’ll be pretty much willing to put more than 100 percent in this passion. Corporate has been a continuous source of building me as a person and I admire the work I have got the opportunity to perform as my duty but I believe in challenging myself, to push myself harder and create my own space in the world of dramatics and maybe Indian Film Industry who knows. As they say, unless you dream, you cannot achieve your limits, maybe I am just trying to dream and shape my upcoming years this way.
6. Nobody can relate to you more than children and youngsters with speech and hearing impairments. Your victories and achievements empower them and kindle the flame of hope within them. What message would you like to pass on to them, and to all those facing certain obstacles in life? How would you advise them to conquer their zeniths?
Reply: Every time I achieved a milestone, rather than stopping I stretch my limits further. It is due to this never stopping attitude that I got the courage to participate in Beauty Pageant for plus size models, happening first time in India. I would tell every youngster out there that set smaller goals, conquer them and this small victories make the foundation for bigger ones. But never start to think that this is your destination it’s a milestone in the long journey you are yet to fathom and I know it’s going to be a bumpy ride ahead too, but always believe that you are all set to take the challenges head on. This attitude of looking at life as a gift has made me take up all the difficulties in a lighter way because as we all know Impossible itself says I M POSSIBLE.” This is the attitude I would inculcate in youngsters through my journey so far.
7. Tell us about your family background and how your parents handled the situation.
Reply: I come from a really humble background. My father retired from Maruti Suzuki India Pvt. Ltd. after a journey filled with his own flavors of ups and downs. My mother is a M.Phil and after my birth she left her career to build mine. After all these years, she has now rejoined her career and is teaching again to the young minds. Her cooking skills and magic in her hands have made me a foodie and I cannot imagine how she manages on all fronts so well. The answer to the question that how they have handled the situation is pretty hard for me comprehend. They never showed anything on their face while making everything in my life seem feasible. Maybe more than I, they have lived the phrase that “Nothing is impossible”. My parents are the powerhouse of my inspiration.
8. We would like to know about your friends as well
Reply: I believe the parents are my biggest support throughout this journey since childhood. My mother is always my go to person in every challenge I face. Apart from them, I believe a have meet a few beautiful minds at IIM Lucknow who are still there for me, be it day or night. One such brother of mine who I got in IIM Lucknow is Dr. Ankit Sharma who I would call a brother from other mother. He is now a Ph.D. and a Professor at IIM Amritsar. We tune in like we’ve always been together since childhood. I always feel fortunate to have found beautiful minded friends at each stage of my life and I would like to thank them for encouraging me to go for anything I feel confident about.
9. What is your message for the society?
Reply: In the end I would like to say that,
“Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose but learn from it.
If you can dream it you can do it.
Nothing is impossible. So Never give up easily in life.”
Reported and Interviewed By Sanya Sinha
Sanya Sinha is a published author from Patna, Bihar. She is currently doing her B.Tech from Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra (2020-2024). She is the author of ‘An Ode to…Verity’ and co-author for ‘World Famous Mysteries Vol: 1’ and ‘World’s Literature Digest’. Sanya has vast experience in article-writing, editing and proof-reading. She has won multiple national and international level poetry and essay-writing contests. She has interned with Monomousumi Services.
