Walking The Runway Of Motherhood

Mrs India Homemakers 2017 winner, Anjali Raut Gill shares her experience from being a model to a mother, and how her little angel, Aksania, has changed her life for better

- Sania Dhirwani

Tell us about yourself. Who exactly is Anjali Raut Gill?

Anjali: I am born to an Indo-Russian family. My father is an aeronautical engineer and mother is a Russian aerobic instructor and a fitness enthusiast. I am the youngest of the three children, and I finished my schooling in Singapore. As a family, we’ve travelled all over the world, thanks to my father’s job, but after a while, he realised he needed stability. That’s when we finally settled in Mumbai. I started modelling at the age of 17 and realised that I unknowingly started a career doing exactly what I dreamed of. After that, there on there was no looking back. I was crowned Miss Mumbai Runner-up in 2006 and was among the finalists in Femina Miss India 2010. Recently I was crowned Mrs India Homemakers, 2017, and it’s a title I wear with pride.

I met my husband Akshay through a common friend. Almost immediately I knew he was the one, and having found my soul mate we decided to tie the knot in 2011. We moved back to Singapore as Akshay is a permanent resident. He’s a businessman and also the reason behind my venture, Cocoaberry Singapore Pvt Ltd. It started out as a dance institute. Dancing has always been a passion of mine, and after marriage, I didn’t quite feel right about modelling. But once I got pregnant, we moved back to India and Cocoaberry branched out into a modelling agency and a pageant training academy. We even conduct our own fashion events, and have an image consultancy and talent management wing, too!

So, was Aksania planned for?