DASHING, WITH A SIDE OF CHARM

MR INDIA WORLD 2024 GOKUL GANESAN IS ALL SET TO TAKE ON THE MR WORLD 2024 TITLE. KALWYNA RATHOD SPEAKS TO THE FASHION MODEL AND MULTIFACETED ENTREPRENEUR ABOUT HIS PREPARATION FOR THE INTERNATIONAL PAGEANT, HIS HOBBIES AND PASSIONS, AND MORE

All of 24, Gokul Ganesan is easy to talk to and very unassuming for someone who’s achieved so much already. His excitement is palpable even over the phone line as he talks about winning the Mr India World 2024 title and making his way to NovaWorld, Phan Thiet, Vietnam, where the Mr World 2024 pageant will be held on November 23, 2024. Contestants from over 40 countries will vie for the international title, and, of course, our hopes are high.

For Gokul, the journey up to here has been life-changing. As a kid, he had always wanted to join the Indian Army. When that didn’t happen – due to various unavoidable reasons – he sat down and thought about what mattered most to him. While fashion and fitness were important, putting the country first took precedence, and he saw the Mr World pageant as the best way to realise all his dreams. “I’m humbled by and grateful for this huge responsibility – that of representing over 1.4 billion people; it’s surreal,” he says.

Gokul has been working hard for years now, preparing himself physically, mentally and emotionally for this moment. No one in his orthodox family in Chennai knew anything about the path he was planning to take. “Now, my parents are very supportive,” he updates us. “They want me to focus on my work; they’ve seen me grow and are now proud of me.” Gokul has also had to make some tough decisions to reach this stage. “I had a corporate job where the growth potential was exponential,” he explains.

“I could have stuck to the job and stayed in my comfort zone, but I took the risk and decided to quit. I also chose to not participate in another national pageant because I just knew something better would come along. I wanted to represent India at Mr World, so I stayed patient and it worked out.”