Fantastic & Fit

If Shweta Rathore, a Fitness Physique Athlete Is Fighting Stereotypes to Show Others How to Be Comfortable in Their Skin, Ayesha Grewal, Founder of the Altitude Store, Is Telling Them How to Eat Right. 10 Women Who Are Redefining Wellness.
 

Shweta Rathore has a thing for milestones. She is the first Indian female fitness physique athlete to win a medal (bronze in 2014) at the World Championship. She is also the first Indian woman to finish on the podium (second) at the Asian Championship in the discipline in 2015. Back in India, her competitors have accepted she is in a league of her own after she completed a hat-trick of Miss India titles in 2017. The Jaipur-born, Delhibred and Mumbai-based Rathore has only more goals in sight. Next stop—expand her company, Fitness Forever, to include apparel, accessories and nutritional supplement and venture into Bollywood.

Seated at a cafe in Mumbai where she is relishing poha laden with green chillies— they’re good for burning fat she says—and chilli chicken, Rathore exudes positivity. She sports a toned, lean figure, not too muscular but plenty of strength. Tattoos make it stand out furthermore. Under her arms, the kamala mandala, on her wrists the symbol of wisdom and on her hips black rose. “A good number of people still call me a bodybuilder,” she says. But Rathore intends to build awareness about her pursuit through endorsements, appearances and talks.