“Winning the title of Mr. India World is a special feeling” – Gokul Ganesan

A couple of days ago, Gokul Ganesan clinched the title of Mr. India World. When you speak to him, you get a fair idea about how he raced past others in the competition. The 24-year-old, who hails from Chennai, is warm, gentle, confident, and has a clear vision. While he is still in the early days of his career, he has complete clarity about what he wants to do and where he wishes to reach.

In this interview, Gokul talks about why winning the title of Mr. India World is a special feeling for him, manifesting the win, becoming an entrepreneur, championing the cause of gender equality, acting aspirations, and more.

You have been participating in pageants since the year 2021. What does winning this particular title mean to you?

Winning the title of Mr. India World is a special feeling. Winning this particular title means the most to me as I finally get the opportunity to represent my country on an international stage. The pageants that I participated in earlier were domestic ones. I could not represent my country in any way after winning those pageants. However, I got to do that this time. Winning the title of Mr. India World, therefore, has been one of the most important moments of my life.

You will now be representing India at the Mr. World competition scheduled to be held on October 5, 2024 at NovaWorld Phan Thiết in Bình Thuận, Vietnam. How are you preparing for it?

I won the title of Mr. India World a couple of days back but my preparation started four years back when I envisioned myself gracing the international stage. I was manifesting this moment from the past four years. I have always worked towards putting my best foot forward and representing my country in the best possible manner. I am preparing both physically and mentally for the Mr. Worldcompetition. It is quite taxing but I am grateful for everything. This is my moment and I am all in.

You have been a part of several fashion shows and endorsed several brands as well. How and when did you decide to explore the modelling industry?

I decided to take a shot at this exactly fourteen months ago. I thought this has come my way and this is not the kind of opportunity that knocks at one’s door every day. I felt if I don’t take up this opportunity, I will lose out on a lot of experiences. I ended up doing a bunch of fashion weeks and shows in the last few months. That helped me understand how things work in the fashion industry. The learning curve has always been on the upside. It has been a wonderful ride so far.

You were born and brought up in Chennai. What kind of impact did the city have on you and your professional choices?

Chennai has always been home to me. My ambitions and aspirations, however, were never bound by the environment I was a part of. I had bigger dreams for myself. Wherever I go, I want to create value. I made some decisions which, at that time, seemed right to me. Chennai did not have a big role in influencing my decision to get into fashion and modelling. However, I really wanted to establish that people from Chennai have the potential to achieve great things in this industry and there is scope for everybody regardless of where they come from.