Growing up, I studied the poise of Sushmita Sen and Aishwarya Rai the way other children studied their schoolbooks, quietly enthralled by the world of pageantry. My family, sensibly, encouraged education above all else — and so I obliged, completing my engineering degree and then a master's. But the dream never quite loosened its grip. It was at university that I first found my way towards it, through pageants, ramp walks and photoshoots.
Then life, as it does, redirected me.
The pandemic brought me to Pune, and before long I was absorbed into a corporate career. Like so many, I assumed that adulthood demanded the shelving of certain ambitions. Modelling, slowly and without ceremony, became something I believed I would have to leave behind.
But sometimes a single opportunity is all it takes.
A friend asked me to model for her boutique, and that one shoot reminded me precisely how much I loved being in front of the camera. I have been building my portfolio ever since — alongside, not instead of, a full-time corporate role.
The balance is not an easy one. There are days when meetings dissolve into photoshoots, weekends surrender themselves to work, and the calendar offers scarcely a moment to exhale. It demands planning, discipline and, on occasion, the sacrifice of comfort. Yet each time I step onto a set at the end of a long working day, I remember exactly why it matters.
A hybrid work schedule has been an unexpected ally. The flexibility allows me to pursue modelling without compromising my professional responsibilities — which is not to say the balancing act is effortless. It simply makes it possible.
If this journey has taught me anything, it is that passion and practicality need not sit at opposite ends of a life. We are forever told to follow our passion, but I believe just as firmly in building stability. Financial independence grants you the freedom to keep chasing your dreams without letting them curdle into a burden.
“Do not feel pressured to choose a single version of yourself. It is entirely possible to be the corporate professional who loves a spreadsheet on Monday and the model before the camera on Saturday.”
To every young woman juggling more than one ambition, I would say this: your passion keeps your spirit alive. Your career gives you the wings to keep pursuing it. And sometimes the most fulfilling life is the one in which you make room for both.
Haute50 — Issue III, July 2026