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Writer's pictureAnand Gautam

The New Era of Indian Beauty Pageants: From Catwalks to Street Stalls!

In a world where beauty queens once strolled the ramps, winking at the cameras, and dazzling us with their poise and pearls of wisdom, a surprising transformation has taken place. Say goodbye to dreams of Bollywood stardom and hello to the new trend: Beauty Pageants Serving Vada Pav and Cutting Chai. Yes, dear reader, Beauty queens are now your neighborhood vada pav seller, and it’s making waves across India.




Gone are the days when pageant winners would end up in glamorous photo shoots or TV commercials. Who cares about modeling contracts or a role in a Karan Johar movie when you can own a thela (street food cart) serving hot, crispy street snacks and make way more money? Move over Bollywood, the real future lies in street food entrepreneurship!


From ‘Catwalk to Chatwala’ – A Beauty with a Bun

Remember when we believed that beauty queens would go on to represent India internationally, making us proud? Well, it seems times have changed. These pageant queens are now embracing the dream of cutting veggies, frying samosas, and blending tea with their perfect manicured nails. Their silk-like hair is now tied in a bun, and the eyes that once hypnotized judges are now locked on the bubbling oil in the frying pan.

And why not? With vada pav sellers reportedly making around ₹15 lakh a year, and tea sellers raking in about ₹10 lakh, who needs to strut down a runway in uncomfortable heels when you can serve up hot chai and still be more financially successful than your typical software engineer?


Engineers Beware, ‘Miss Vadapav’ is Here!

Let’s talk numbers. Software engineers, after four years of college, land jobs in massive firms like Infosys and Cognizant, only to walk away with a humble salary of ₹3-4 lakh per year. They can barely afford a decent flat to rent in major cities. Meanwhile, the tea seller outside their office, whose chai they rely on during deadlines, is raking in lakhs. There is no lack of prestige on selling tea in a country where the prime minister sold tea on railway platform to the common public who voted him to become one of the longest serving Prime minister.


Now, imagine this scenario: A former beauty queen, crowned Miss Local Town 2024, opens a thela near your office. With a smile brighter than the oil in her frying pan, she serves up vada pav while racking up both Instagram followers and rupees. She’s living the dream—financial freedom, social media fame, and all without waiting years to afford a decent home!


Why Beauty Queens Selling Street Food Makes Perfect Sense

When you think about it, it’s actually brilliant. These pageant winners have all the assets they need: charm, looks, and social media influence. Forget auditions and casting couch nightmares—now they just serve street food with their flawless smiles. And while their samosas might be mediocre at best, you’ll still go there, because hey, the chef is a beauty queen! Who wouldn't want their vada pav handed over by someone who has mastered both the ramp walk and the recipe for chutney?


And let’s not forget, they’re more likely to make it on Instagram stories and TikTok than most struggling models. Reality TV shows are already jumping on the bandwagon, with contests where beauty queens compete over who makes the best chaat. Who needs MasterChef when you have Miss Pav Bhaji 2024?


The Tragic Downfall of the Traditional Thelawala

But there’s a downside to this glitzy food trend—the old-school thelawalas. These hardworking folks, who’ve been selling chai and snacks for generations, are now facing some fierce competition. How can they compete with the allure of Miss Gorgeous serving chai with a side of glamour? Their chai might be better, but it doesn’t come with selfie opportunities or hashtags.

As customers flock to the beauty queens’ stalls, you can almost hear the collective sighs of the traditional thelawalas, who now have to find new ways to survive in this pageant-turned-food-cart reality. Maybe they’ll rebrand, or maybe they’ll just hand over the spatula to the new generation of beauty queens in aprons.



So, as the world watches, India’s beauty queens are swapping crowns for cooking pots and becoming the new faces of street food. With earnings rivaling engineers and celebrity status just an Instagram story away, who needs modeling? The future of beauty is street food, and it's coming to a town near you—one vada pav at a time!

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