Beauty queen turns women's crusader

Mrs Earth 2017-18 and Mrs Eco International 2018- 19 Pageant winner Shweta Chaudhary actor, entrepreneur and a Social Activist elucidates about her undertaken social project named 'Tarini' for underprivileged women.

As a Mrs Earth and Mrs Eco International Pageant winner, she always wanted to do meaningful projects that could transform lives. As an achiever in life, Shweta Chaudhary always wanted to inspire other women struggling in daily life to rise and shine.

On talking about the main objective behind the project she says, "The main objective behind the project is to make women independent. So, the only motive is to make them self dependent and this is not only related to women but also for children. So, I always wanted to work for underprivileged women and children and Tarini is that medium. My main focus is healthy, independent and educated women and healthy and educated kids. I have traveled a lot because of my beauty pageants. Wherever I have been, I have noticed problems faced by women and children. I'm not being biased with men but the problems which are prevailing in our country is also there in other countries too. These beauty pageants gave me the platform to fulfil my vision for the underprivileged on a big scale. "

Ambujwadi was selected as area of focus and women empowerment as the central theme for transformation. Absence of any meaningful source of income for inhabitants of Ambujwadi slums, the survival was really challenging and to add to it pandemic woes have made them further vulnerable.

At least in Dharavi the leather industry provides some source of employment, here in Ambujwadi women have been facing higher stress and atrocities due to no such opportunities.

Shweta says, "We have done few surveys, out of which a survey found that from where have these slum dwellers hail from and it was not at all astonishing to learn that Majority of them have their roots in UP & Bihar, also they are not skilled nor have formal education and represent both communities with higher than national average represented by minorities."

On talking about the whole idea behind the name 'Tarini', she says that the name 'Tarini' is very close to her heart because the six-member all-woman Indian Navy team circumnavigated the globe in their first ever global journey, on INSV 'Tarini'.

She adds, "Whenever I used to meet these underprivileged women, I always felt they know their problem and their solution too. By getting inspired by Indian Navy women and these underprivileged women, I decided the name 'Tarini'. As I always tell these women that they are like these Indian Navy women and the sea is their obstacles wherein I want to become that ship as a medium who helps them to come out. They just need a medium to reach their solution."

Recently on the eve of Women's day on 7th March 2021, Shweta distributed Iron Syrup bottles, one time delicious meal for them and their entire families totaling close to 7000+ beneficiaries along with re-usable sanitary pad distribution for 2750 beneficiaries in association with Rotary Club of Mumbai BraveHearts. Most heartening part was that these pads can be reused for close to 2 years and were stitched by tribal women.

These women had to be motivated first, by instilling self belief in them guiding them to face these struggles with smile and acquire new skills to empower not only themselves but their entire family to break this vicious cycle of poverty and dependence.

First Step:

On 14th Feb 2021, Mrs Shweta Chaudhary decided to empower these needy women through power of compassion and empathy. Group of 25 women each were chosen carefully from 3 such locations from Ambujwadi, they were asked to identify their problems and best possible solution for those problems, in one-on-one dialogue with each one a direct connect was built. They were gifted special handcrafted Kada's that would remind them daily of the mission they have taken, just like the uniform worn by the 6 amazing young women who successfully circumnavigated the globe.