Introduction
Ayindri Banerjee is the reigning Mrs Indo-America Globe 2024. Originally from the cultural & intellectual capital of India, Kolkata, she now lives in Boston, USA, Ayindri is a dedicated wife, mother of two daughters 10 and 8, a Harvard-trained AI expert – she is a champion of financial independence, especially for women and girls. Ayindri encourages them to explore unconventional career paths such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and technology. At the heart of her mission lies the TechDIVA AI initiative, aimed at empowering women with high-demand skills to prepare them for the future’s trillion-dollar AI industry. Ayindri’s extraordinary journey through pageantry serves as a vehicle to reach and instill this vision in women and girls. Her diverse background also includes training in architecture, software engineering, and an MBA from Boston.
What is the purpose of participating in Mrs Globe?
I want to inspire women all around the world to reclaim their worth and expand horizons. As we go through life from a little girl to becoming a mother, all forces around us “condition” us to live our lives according to the established norms of society, and keep our dreams at the end. I have worked and studied with people from close to 120 countries and experienced half of my life living in two different countries USA and India. After interacting with so many people from diverse cultures, I am amazed to realize that this is the reality albeit to different degrees in all parts of the world. After becoming a mother to two daughters, I have taken it upon myself to make a change and show my daughters the possibility of a more optimistic future. I want to see a better tomorrow where everyone feels empowered enough to be able to achieve anything at any age, even women. I chose the unique platform of pageantry to set a positive example and reach the farthest corners of the globe with the compelling power of beauty and glamor.
Why do I find Mrs Indo-America Globe title so special?
I spent 50% of my life in India and 50% in the USA. I have American kids, who love American values of Liberty, Equality and Freedom. The title of Indo-America is so special to me, and I want to thank Mrs Globe organization for celebrating this unique blend of cultures. My Indian values teach me perseverance, and to see God in everything and everyone around me. It teaches me warmth and respect for the collective. My life experiences in the USA and India have both shaped me to be a unique voice that demonstrates the magic when cultures come together. Indian-Americans seek education as the highest priority, and bring their intelligence and vibrant culture to enrich the rich tapestry of American culture. I am so grateful for this opportunity to represent this beautiful cultural mix.
Where does she draw her energy from?
I draw my energy from the strength I saw in my parents growing up. There were a lot of sacrifices they made for me to be educated and safe, despite social pressures they taught me to be brave. They taught me not to be afraid when you are the only voice in the room speaking the truth, even if I am the only woman in the class studying engineering. I carry this strength forward with me wherever I go, and I pass these values to my daughters. As a woman from the soil of Bengal, I carry the words of the famous poet Rabindranath Tagore “Jodi tor daak shune keu na aashe, tobe akla cholo re” — Even if you are the only voice of truth, dont be afraid to walk the path the truth alone.
Why did you decide to participate in a beauty pageant?
Beauty and glamor have a lot of power to influence, especially women and young girls. And through this platform, I want to share my empowering message of breaking barriers into non-traditional professions and be able to achieve anything at any age. I am a mother of two daughters, an Artificial Intelligence (AI) expert and I am above 40, this is the time the world no longer invests in us women. But at the sametime coming out into the world in our full glory, embracing all the challenges we faced, and celebrating our accomplishments can redefine this narrative. I want to show my daughters and inspire many more through pageantry, that you can achieve anything at any age and the future possibilities are unlimited!
How do you feel about competition?
When I first started pageantry, I was 170lbs, never faced the camera or tried modeling. But with my late mother’s encouragement and belief in me, I tried it. I realized that no matter what life stage or physical appearance I am in, I am very happy with myself. Therefore when I face competitors in pageantry, I only look at it as a learning experience to draw inspiration from amazing women I meet. So my competitors to me are divine goddesses who are here to teach me wonderful lessons from life.
How are you preparing for pageants?
I maintain my physical stamina, by consistently following a strength training regime, lifting weights for the last 3 years. Every week, it tests my mental strength as I try heavier weights and more demanding exercises. Along with that, given my busy schedule and stressful work, I need my mind to be stimulated. I do that, by meditating and learning about spirituality, philosophy and history. I like to listen to Indian classical music such as the sitar, and raagas, and listen to the Bhagwat Geeta, which is a spiritual guide book from my culture. I only interact with positive influences, and friends who give me joy and support my mission.
How do your knowledge and experience help you in pageant?
I am a trained Architect, I have also worked as a Software Engineer, studied MBA and now an Artificial Intelligence Expert. My pageantry journey brings together all of these experiences. Pageantry involves creativity, I draw this from my training in Architecture, where we learned to take inspiration and carry it through in our architectural designs. Pageantry also involves “strategic” thinking to understand how to position your “brand” among competitors that align with the mission of the pageant platform, I draw this from my MBA education. Pageantry also involves stamina, and discipline to succeed despite all odds. After facing massive competition in India during highly intense engineering entrance examinations , then facing 5 years of rigorous training in residential engineering college, my grit and determination has been tested many times. In addition, working and succeeding in a male-dominated extremely competitive profession of technology and AI, I am prepared for any challenges ahead.
Being a mother, surviving the pain of childbirth and then having the courage to recover and face the camera and be in the spotlight, needs a lot of self-assurance and faith.
Pageantry is tough and it needs flawless, time-sensitive execution, specially during pageant week. One has to be a leader and think like a CEO, by assembling a talented team of fitness experts, makeup artists, stylists, photographers and other experts to build a proper pageant wardrobe & brand. When I recruit photographers and stylists online and then meet them in India and execute a photoshoot in locations I have never been to, that brings together all my skills of working with people and being adaptable.
About Family:
I was born to a bengali family, in a suburban city of West Bengal, in India, known as Asansol. My father was a civil engineer and mother a homemaker. I am the eldest of 3 siblings, my younger sister and my youngest brother, and we grew up in Kolkata. My mother always said, when I was born it rained for 21 days and the nearby river known as Mayurakshi river, flooded and the dam broke! Coincidentally I was born on the same day as my mother’s birthday! I was a very quiet and shy girl, and I loved to dance, sing and draw. I never thought I would grow up, to have the confidence to go across the world and work in such a competitive profession, let alone face the camera and be in the limelight in pageantry! I have two daughters, 10 and 8, and they love hearing about my pageantry journey. My husband inspires me by helping me share the domestic responsibilities with me.
Considering your busy schedule, do you still find time for your family
My most favorite place in the world is my kids’ room. I love going to their room, and being there when they do their homework. I like to inspire them about the unlimited possibilities the future holds, and like to take them to watch movies and do fun things. I also like to teach them to make Indian bread, called rotis, make vegetable subzi (curry) and daal (lentil soup).
What is the most important thing in a family?
The most important thing in a family is love. Finding different ways to express love and emphasizing the importance of finding joy in what we do. I believe that even in the world, we need to express more love and appreciation for people around us. That will help the world heal better and build more empathy.
Quoting a thought in Sanksrit , “Vasudeva Kutumbakam” which means that the world is one family and we should all treat each other with the same compassion and love.
What does holding this title mean to me?
I will prove to the world that we are stronger than the challenges we face. It will also mean that even a woman above 40, with two kids from India can win an international beauty pageant title, something that has never happened in history. And in the process, I will inspire so many, that they can still achieve their dream at any age.
What does it mean to me to be a representative of the WIN Foundation?
I want to share an experience I had in India, when I was returning one evening from the US Consulate in Kolkata, after getting my US visa. I was ecstatic, but on my way back, I saw a young married Indian woman begging on the streets with an infant girl in her arms. I immediately stopped to talk to her and give all the cash I had. As I walked away, I realized there is so much work that needs to be done, to uplift women. Nature has given us the greatest power of bearing a child, yet that same power is abused.
I am so glad that Mrs Globe is centered around the WIN foundation, which truly helps women in need.
About Business:
I believe that Knowledge has no Gender, and I’m passionate about sharing my knowledge in AI and Technology to empower women through my education platform TechDIVA.
Why AI? Why Technology and Engineering as a career path?
As I have studied and worked in the Technology and AI fields, I have found that even though many women study these professions, they eventually drop out because they get outnumbered and find the work culture less welcoming. However, these are the professions that can really enable women to work from anywhere, even when the demands of family life changes. These professions can also provide more financial stability for women. That is why I have stayed in the technology profession despite the challenges for 18 years so I can help more women come to these professions. In addition AI is experiencing a massive growth and I am on a mission to empower more women with AI skills, so they can stay ahead and benefit from this massive opportunity.
Where do you find your strength, among all these competing priorities?
I also draw strength in my Bengali culture and philosophical roots. Bengal was known as the golden state, for its rich natural resources, cultural heritage and spiritually awakened people. Before colonialism, Bengal was known across the world for its rich textile and strong ships for trading in global markets. The Bengali Renaissance in the late 18th century to the 20th century saw a cultural movement, that gave birth to Nobel Laureates such as Rabindranath Tagore, Spiritual gurus such as Swami Vivekanda and courageous leaders such as Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. Bengal has also endured the tragic partition, into West Bengal and Bangladesh, and the heart-breaking Bengal famine that claimed millions of lives. Still, Bengalis have thrived with the power of art, literature, culture and spirituality. Bengali children grow up with immense pride in their cultural heritage and become creative intellectual Indviduals with a global mindset.
What gives her strength and helps her restore her? What helps you avoid burnout and restore emotional balance and inner harmony?
I believe I’m here on this earth, for a purpose. My challenges are given to me by the universe to learn from and to share my learnings with the world. I also believe in speaking through honest deeds and intentions without expecting rewards also known as Karma.
You really have the power to change the future by having the courage to be different today
As an AI scientist I build models with lots of data that predict the future. We teach machines and robots how to behave by training them with lots of past information. I have worked on countless machine learning and deep learning models which “predict” and show us a future reality. Many times as a data scientist, I find “outliers” that would completely change how the model behaved. And if these so-called “outliers” increase, what the AI model predicts, given the same inputs, changes. And eventually, collectively it starts creating a new future, a new reality and a new normal!
This is the spiritual message I found, while working in hi-tech Artificial Intelligence(AI) projects, that you and I, have a unique power to change the future by being that data point, that “outlier” and inspire others to become more such “outliers” so we can together, change the future and build a different reality.
Imagine a future, when a mother of two daughters above 40 who is also an AI scientist becomes the new normal! Imagine a future when more women are finding new AI startups that are catering to women’s needs, such as ending period poverty in the world, ending narcissistic abuse and making the workplace feel more welcoming to women!
That is what my dream is. Through pageantry I want to reach more and more women to take control of their future by breaking more barriers and expanding their horizons. In the process I want to uplift everyone, who is looking for a reason to reinvent themselves against all odds.
Arise, Awake, And Stop Not Till The Goal Is Reached
Swami Vivekananda
