A Bengaluru resident, Sameera Dahiya was crowned the second runner-up at the Miss North India Plus Size 2018 held in Chandigarh on July 8.

Bengaluru  :

A Bengaluru resident, Sameera Dahiya was crowned the second runner-up at the Miss North India Plus Size 2018 held in Chandigarh on July 8.

The second edition of the event included three rounds including a three-day grooming session. Out of 800 women who auditioned for the contest, only 50 were shortlisted.

Conceptualised by Hardeep Arora, the event aims to encourage plus-sized women to embrace their bodies, and prevent body shaming.  The pageant provides plus-sized models a stage to walk the ramp.

A biker and yoga instructor, Sameera’s tale is an inspirational one. “When you travel, it gets difficult to follow a healthy routine. Before I started riding, I weighed 65 kg. Now, I weigh 20 kg more than my ideal weight. Because of a medical condition, my weight hasn’t budged in the last two years,” says Sameera, who was into sports and fitness for 12 years.

In 2016, she quit her software engineering job and decided to turn her passion for biking into a profession. “I am a professional motorcyclist and I participate in racing and off-roading competitions. I teach women biking, and 60 per cent of 300 participants we have, are plus-sized,” she says, adding that over the years, she’s come to understand that size is not a point of concern.

She highlights the importance of accepting your body type.

“This is not just for women. Plus-size men also face similar challenges. Being a slightly larger is not a curse, you just need to take care of your health,” she says.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Express News Service / July 11th, 2018