When Pawan Chahal got married and moved to the UK in 2005, she had no idea what was in store for her.
Pawan started her own hair salon and raised three children, thinking she knew what the life ahead looked like for her. She is a mum and a wife, and had been living a pretty normal life for the past 19 years. When she saw an advertisement for ‘Miss and Mrs Punjaban Europe’, she only saw it as an opportunity to utilise her knowledge and deep love for Punjabi culture.
“I decided, because I have so much knowledge of Punjabi culture, to participate in the competition,” Pawan says.
This brought her to Birmingham, where she participated in ‘Miss and Mrs Punjaban UK’, a beauty pageant for Punjabi women. She secured third place in the contest, which led her to Italy. Among Punjabi girls from several European countries, Pawan competed for the title of ‘Mrs Punjaban Europe’, and won.
“There were Punjabi girls from all over,” she says. “From more than 20 countries. And I won.”
Pawan’s win in Italy saw her crowned as Mrs Punjaban Europe, which turned her life upside down and took her on a whirlwind of experiences. She was flown out to different countries to attend events and was invited to compete in the US.
“They called me to New York and said I can go directly without auditioning, because I won Mrs Europe Punjaban. I’m so happy I’m going to the next level.”
Pawan will fly to New York in September, where she will compete for a week for the title of Mrs World Punjaban, competing with Punjabi girls from across the world. Pawan is delighted at the opportunity, remembering how monotonous her life had been before her recent win in Italy.
“This time last year there was nothing going on. One competition in the UK, and everything changed,” she says. “I feel so proud. I’m 40, I have three kids, I’m a housewife, and I have a really nice title of Mrs Punjab.”
But how did a Punjabi mum-of-three become the winner of a Europe beauty pageant? Pawan isn’t sure either. She was surprised to see the beauty pageant had a ‘Mrs’ category besides the usual ‘Miss’ category. Eager to promote her beloved culture and language, she decided to participate.
Being a mother and salon owner who had lived in Bradford for 15 years and in Wakefield for 4, Pawan didn’t need to win the pageant for money. She says her main motivation for taking part in the competitions was to showcase her language and her culture, which she holds close to her heart. She explains how she has received several offers to make appearances in music videos, but she declined because that is not what she is interested in.
“I’m not bothered about the money. My main aim is to promote my culture and my language. I love my Punjabi culture, and I just wanted to promote it.”
Pawan’s favourite pastime is traditional music, which she deeply enjoys and takes part in. To her delight, her children love music too and are always supporting her in her endeavours. Her son studies music and her daughter always insists on wearing traditional Punjabi clothes and jewellery.
However, Pawan’s journey wasn’t devoid of challenges. Pawan talks about the hate and scorn she received when she ended up as the second runner-up in the UK competition, and how her family supported her and helped her get past it.
“Whenever I posted a video on social media for promotion, just like everyone else did, I would get bad comments like ‘Where are you going? You are no winner.’ And I would feel bad sometimes and think I’m a loser, but my husband would say ‘if you’re on stage, you’re a winner.’ Then I won in Italy and now I’m going to America.”
Pawan is grateful for her husband’s constant and unending support. She explains how he took care of the household and the children when she was away competing. Knowing that there are others whose families aren’t as supportive, Pawan is deeply appreciative of hers.
She advices young girls to be confident and follow their dreams. Speaking from experience, she says she used to look at beauty pageants on television and wonder if she could’ve done it if she wasn’t married or if she was younger. However, she now knows anything can be achieved with confidence, and that’s what she wants other women and girls to remember.
Pawan is grateful to the contest for providing her with opportunities and opening up her world. She will be holding a similar event in Bradford on 19 October, where Punjabi girls from all over the UK can compete in a cultural pageant. She has also taken up several other projects, like appearing in a Bollywood series. Now that she is being invited to fly all over the world and take part in events, Pawan is gearing up to make the best of her good fortune and spread her love and appreciation of Punjabi culture.
