Beauty queen, cine actress, entrepreneur and mom of two, Soujanya Hegde talks on maintaining work-life balance and her family’s role in fuelling her dreams.
Mangalore: A child prodigy, who won her first award at six months, there was no turning back for Soujanya Hegde. A beauty queen, cine actress, VJ, dancer, entrepreneur, toastmaster while simultaneously managing her home and two kids, the 35-year-old credits “passion” and “family” to be her driving forces.
Hegde, a popular face in the coastal Karnataka had won Miss Mangalore, Miss Karavali and Miss South Canara before her marriage. But ‘winning’ Mrs Popular at Mrs India Worldwide 2017, put her in the international limelight.
In an interview with News Karnataka, Hegde who recently played a lead in Tulu film ‘Devi Baideti’ says that everyone has dreams and aspirations but sometimes compromises are inevitable to maintain balance in life. “But never let go of your priorities,” she advises.
The beauty queen claims that she was able to achieve as her family never allowed her to let go of her dreams. Soujanya was a star kid in school winning many prizes in cultural and co-curricular activities. Her parents M Sadashiva Hegde, a Retd Superintendent of Excise and Sumathi S Hegde, an entrepreneur made sure they encourage their daughter in whatever she aspires to do.
In a matter of fact, they were the ones who first put her on stage for the ‘Healthy Baby’ contest by JCI (Junior Chamber International) when she was just six months old. She won the first prize and went on to win many more while pursuing her schooling at St Agnes. “I never had stage fear and I admit it’s truly the greatest gift,” she says. Soujanya pursed Law at SDM College and during the same time participated and won in several local beauty contests. She also made her debut in Sandalwood with Kannada movie ‘Mayada Jinke’.
Soon after, she married Sudhir Hegde an engineer working for Pepsi Company in Nigeria. Even in the new country, Soujanya never stopped aspiring and credits her husband for supporting her and most importantly, allowing her to be herself. Soujanya started a dance institute in Nigeria, an Indian parlour and even worked for the Indian Embassy as the cultural secretary. The couple was blessed with a daughter Souravi and later a son whom they named Souraag.
After staying in Nigeria for almost 10 years, the couple moved back to Mangaluru and Soujanya who had bid adieu to her dream of pursuing beauty pageants post-marriage was motivated to take it up again by her teenage daughter Souravi.
She decided to give a shot at Mrs India Worldwide 2017 and was selected in the top 60 among 8000 entries. She ended up being one among the top ten finalists and even though she did not bag the crown, she won ‘Mrs Popular’ title.
Today, the power-packed woman is exploring different fields. She has started an exclusive party shop ‘Let’s Party’ in Mangaluru with business partner Sachin. She hosts various events and also shows on local TV. She even served as the president of JCI, Lalbagh in 2018.
Soujanya also trains beauty pageant aspirants in the city though personality development sessions and workshops. “After I contested in Mrs India Worldwide, I came back and conducted the same here to boost the dream of those who wanted to contest beauty pageants. Many advised me against it and said that I am training my own competition. However, I don’t believe that. If one wants to shine, they can do it from anywhere. No matter how people copy you or learn from you, you can never stay out with what comes along,” she points out.
Soujanya is also one among the 25 brand ambassadors for ‘Prayas’ an initiative that creates awareness on menstrual hygiene. On women’s day, she advises women to give importance to relationships. “Whatever you are doing, do it with your heart and that’s very important,” she concludes.
