Roshni Khatri is a model and known for her title as Miss Nepal Earth in 2016. She has walked a long way and has seen the world from several angles since. Having seen the world from an international perspective as well as that of a local citizen, her journey, views, and beliefs incorporate all aspect of her life and are a must read.

MyCity caught Khatri for a short chat to understand more about her life before and after her career in the beauty industry as well as the challenges she faced. Here are the excerpts:

What made you participate in a beauty pageant?
As a child, I saw those beauty queens were taken as role models. They do good things for society and aren’t just taken as those who promote brands, they are influencers. I would get to represent the country abroad in the international arena, the most converted platform.

What’s one thing you wish you had known before going for Miss Nepal?
I wish I had known that I wasn’t ready for it and known more about the industry and what happened behind the scenes. I was naive because I only saw what was presented to me on TV and the news. Winning the title before and after three would have made a difference, possibly giving me time to mature as I was only twenty when I pursued this career. However, I have no regrets.

How has it been recently after 3 years since receiving your international title?
I was still a student when I joined the pageant and have been doing many activities such as being an ambassador to an organization called United World Schools and hosting a dancing reality dance show on national television. I’m currently trying to set up my own software business and am also on a contract basis with a hotel management institution as a counselor which takes up most of my time nowadays.

You grew up in an ordinary household, how does that influence your achievements today?
It helps me stick to my roots and creates a balance for my lifestyle. I’ve seen things from the perspective of a middle-class family as well as a beauty queen. Through looking at the world in the angles of a middle-class family to that of a successful beauty queen, I am able to relate to my audience and know how people see me as she once saw other influencers as a young girl

How did people see beauty pageant shows as a pose to how they see it now?
There has been a very drastic and positive change. During 2007 and 2008, there were lots of riots and of political threats being made to take down Miss Nepal because we had a very conservative society in which they saw beauty pageants as objectifying a woman's body. Now, however, the public takes us as national representatives, though there hasn’t been any consideration from the government, it’s a private company that empowers girls the way they can. 

Any plans?
I’m interested in working behind the camera in the technical plans. The reason why this idea came to me is that I realized that the screen is a great place to display messages, making it easy for the general public to understand things. It’s how I believe you can capture emotions in the most realistic way possible. It has been my personal dream to become a film director.

As an international figure that many people look up to, what’s a message you’d like to send to them?
You can be whatever you want to be. It’s all your personal choice, don’t let anybody or rely on anybody to decide what you want to be. Try what you like, work for it and you’ll be a successful person at the end of the day. That was the way I was raised.