Flashback 1995:
Ritika
Ramtri was busy grading tests and assigning homework to Class V students at a convent school in Allahabad, now Prayagraj. Fast forward to 2024, Ramtri's still in the role of mentorship but with a unique twist - she's now coaching aspiring beauty queens.
Voted the 'third Best
Pageant
Coach in the World' by Pageant Planet USA in 2019, Ramtri's inspiring journey from chalk and duster to a renowned beauty pageant coach in Pune is a testament to the transformative power of following one's passion.
Manushi Chhillar, who won the prestigious Miss World 2017 crown for India ending the country's dry spell of 17 years at the top pageant contest, was groomed by Ramtri. The list of renowned personalities trained by
Ramtri
also includes actor-model Gauahar Khan, beauty queens
Urvashi Rautela
, Pooja Chopra and
Amrita
Thapar.
Her career itself has been no less than a pageant of accolades. “In my pageant journey of 25 years, I have had several winners at national and international levels to my credit. In 2018, I was nominated for a ‘Best in Pageantry’ award by the Pageant Planet, Boston, Massachusetts,” Ramtri said. “It was a great honour for me to be invited to give my analysis on Miss Universe 2009 on Pageant Talk Radio, America’s top pageant radio programme produced by expert pageant interview coach Valerie Hayes from Texas,” she added. Ramtri, who founded a pageant training studio in 1997, said while she never aspired to be a beauty queen herself, she was always captivated by the world of pageantry.
Her interest in pageants began at a young age. “After my dad retired (from the Army) and we moved to Pune, I pursued professional training. I stumbled into the world of pageantry by chance when I met ace choreographer Sandip
Soparrkar
at a soft skills workshop. He approached me to train him for Mr India and Young Turk which he went on to win. Later, Gauahar Khan, Amrita Thapar approached me and I was firmly set on the path of pageants,” she added.
One of Ramtri’s favourite students Soparrkar said: “I met Ritika during an event and soon we became friends. Once while travelling in a train, we were having vada pav when Ritika came across a Mr India advertisement and asked me to take part in the contest. I had no idea about modelling and she was kind enough to mentor me... Rest is history.” Talking to TOI, Gauahar Khan was also all praises for Ramtri.
“Ritika was quite helpful in my
Miss India
days. She was very inspiring and taught me the power of answering well and instilled a lot of confidence in me... she is brilliant in whatever she does,” Khan said. Despite her current success in the world of pageantry, she fondly reminisces about her days as a teacher.
“While pageantry is both fulfilling and rewarding, I miss my days as a teacher at St Joseph’s Convent Bathinda and Holy Trinity School, Prayagraj. The unconditional love and adoration of my little ones in schools (my students) made my teaching years a golden age for me,” she added.
English (US) ·