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Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], August 26: At 46, Chandrani Sarkar thought her moment had passed. The modeling dreams she’d harbored before marriage seemed like distant memories, buried under years of homemaking and self-doubt. Today, she wears two crowns: VG Mrs India Empress East Zone and VG Mrs West Bengal Empress, proof that it’s never too late to chase what your heart wants.
Years of Playing Small
Chandrani’s story isn’t about overnight change. For years, she battled insecurities that many women face. Limited English skills, educational gaps, and zero confidence created walls around her dreams.
“I was scared of so many things,” she admits. “I don’t speak perfect English, I’m not highly educated, and confidence? That was missing completely.”
Life knocked her down repeatedly, yet she always found strength to help others. But somewhere along the way, she forgot to help herself. “I would step forward for everyone else without thinking twice, but never for me.”
“Now It’s My Turn”
The change came with a simple thought: enough. After years of putting herself last, Chandrani decided to audition for VG Mrs India Empress. The decision scared her, but she went anyway.
What happened surprised her. “Starting from organizer Mrs. Binita Srivastava, the team, jury members, everyone was supportive,” she says. “It didn’t feel like competition. It felt like sisterhood.”
The contests became her safe space to grow. No judgment about her English. No criticism about her education. Just encouragement to be herself.
Two Crowns, Bigger Dreams
Winning changed her, but not how you’d expect. The crowns weren’t the real prize, the confidence was. “This contest was my stepping stone,” Chandrani explains. “Now I never want to look back.”
She’s not stopping here. Her goal is to reach women still hiding in the shadows, held back by the same fears she knew too well.
“I want to prove that if I can do it, then you can too. Age is never the limit. You just have to speak for yourself and take that step.”
What She Learned
Chandrani’s journey works because it’s messy and real. No perfect English, no fancy degrees, no traditional advantages, just a 46-year-old woman who decided her dreams mattered.
Her story hits home for women who’ve spent years thinking their time had passed them by. It didn’t. Sometimes dreams just wait for the right moment to surface.
The modeling dream that got buried under marriage and motherhood? It was still there, waiting. And at 46, Chandrani finally permitted it to come alive.