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Journalism of Courage
When Muskan Sharma, 23, stood up — in her black dress, her feet squeezed into pencil-heeled shoes — there was no sign of discomfort. Instead, her shoulders pulled back, she looked straight at the man she was talking to and said, “Sir, you cannot break someone’s passion. What culture are you talking about?”
That day, October 3, Raghvendra Bhatnagar, president of the Rashtriya Hindu Shakti Sangathan, had barged into a room in Rishikesh where Muskan and other women were rehearsing for the Miss Rishikesh pageant, and hectored them about wearing “clothes that are against the sanskriti (culture) of Uttarakhand”. In a video that has since gone viral, Bhatnagar is heard saying that he would not allow the event to take place and asks the participants to “do it at their homes”.
But it’s the pushback from Muskan and the other girls that has won hearts. The story, of course, continued well beyond the video – Bhatnagar was forced to make an exit, and the rehearsals continued. The following day, the pageant was held as scheduled and Muskan went on to be crowned Miss Rishikesh.
The video has Bhatnagar objecting to the clothes the women are wearing, to which Muskan says: “Are you fine with alcohol? There is a store right outside that sells cigarettes, alcohol, and drugs. Get that closed.” When he asks her to quieten down, she says, “Let us do what we want to do… You are no one to tell us this. Who are you?”
Muskan wouldn’t have let him decide for her. After all, she had fought bigger demons to get to that room. “Growing up, I was drawn to the film industry and its glamour, but something always held me back from entering beauty pageants. I was scared. I would participate in dance competitions, but not modelling. I saw this advertisement (for the pageant) while scrolling on Instagram. I knew I would regret it if I didn’t try my luck at least once before I turned 25,” says Muskan, speaking from Delhi, where she has a full-time job.
She grew up in Rishikesh and graduated from a college in Dehradun. Her family, she says, has been firmly beside her. “They were happy that I stood up for myself because that is what they have taught me,” she says, adding that it was not the first time she has had to fend for herself. “I always voice my opinion if I think I am right,” she says.
It’s this conviction that saw her taking on Bhatnagar. She has many more questions for him. “When they say ‘revealing clothes’, what does ‘revealing’ mean and what does ‘exposing’ mean? The times are different; we have to go beyond these notions. Everyone has a right to follow religion and culture the way they want… you need to be human first,” she says.
When contacted, Bhatnagar declined to comment other than saying he did not want to speak to anyone from outside Uttarakhand “who does not know the culture of the state”. The Rashtriya Hindu Shakti Sangathan, registered as an organisation in January 2017, says it works to oppose “religious conversions” by supporting laws against “love jihad.”
Among the others with Muskan who took on Bhatnagar that day was a 23-year-old who won the second runner-up position the next day. “Clothes cannot be tied to a woman’s honour. Who made these men the custodians of our honour? We will pursue this career and ensure young girls are taught these values,” says the Rishikesh resident, speaking on the condition that she not be named.
When she was 18, she says, she took up a job as a sales executive to shoulder family responsibilities. Her father died when she was three and her mother worked to support her and her younger sister. Two years ago, she came across the advertisement for the Miss Rishikesh pageant and put her name in. “I did not have any background in modelling. I wanted to enter the industry, but responsibilities tied me down,” she says.
She did not win the title that year in 2023, but she finally knew where she wanted to be.
“There were times when people would complain to my mother that I came home late. Par log toh bolenge hi (people talk anyway). I would get stared at even when I wore salwar-kameez. Drunk men would shadow me at night when I came home after work. It is never about the clothes you wear. But my mother was always supportive and would repeat that she trusts me. This kept me going,” she says.
The 23-year-old, who completed her graduation through distance learning, is now preparing for state-level pageants.
Last week’s incident, she says, won’t deter her. “I have been asked why I wear shorts and dresses. I simply tell people that it is my choice,” she says.
The Miss Rishikesh pageant has been a part of the Diwali Mela of the local Lions Club Royal chapter for the last five years. On the jury for the pageant was state Women’s Commission Chairperson Kusum Kandwal, among others.
Speaking at the event, Kandwal had said, “These girls will go on to appear on bigger platforms and will make Rishikesh proud. We are witnesses to their performance and in the years to come, the world will be a witness to this.”
Susheel Chhabra, one of the organisers of the event, told The Indian Express, “We have been conducting the show as part of the Lions Diwali Mela and have never faced such objections before. We are providing a platform for women.”
