Excited about being the first Mr India Guyana, 25-year-old fitness trainer Mario Moonsammy is ready to take on his duties and is looking to break the stigma and discrimination surrounding men entering pageants or modelling.
The final question of the competition asked, ‘How would you treat male stigma that comes to pageantry?’ While he did not give word for word what his reply was, Mario told The Scene, “This is one of the main reasons why I signed up for pageantry; to help youngsters like myself to spread awareness on platforms that they’re passionate about. It helps them to believe in themselves…”
This is not the first time Mario has had to deal with stigma. Having modelled designer wear over the last five years, he has been dealing with people stereotyping him and questioning his sexuality. However, his passion for modelling and wearing designer brands trumped what anyone thought.
Though he had been modelling, Mario had never imagined himself involved in pageantry as he had not come across an avenue for the same locally. When he saw a post on social media that the Miss/Mrs/Teen/Mr India Worldwide Guyana Organization was making plans to launch a pageant, he recalled being “super” excited. Friends encouraged him to give it a try and the rest is history. For Mario, the biggest advantage of being in a pageant was having a platform where he could highlight some of the important things that matter to him. Therefore, his focus during the pageant was health and fitness. He is looking to deepen this during his reign, and said that whatever the organization needed of him as a titleholder he would execute those duties.
“Health and fitness is not just about impacting your physical well-being but also has a lot to do with your mental health as well,” Mario said. “I’m in the gym five days a week working on myself and helping my friends and colleagues with workout plans, with meal plans. I first became passionate about health and fitness about the age of 17 when my dad sat down with me and introduced that topic to me. And his reason for doing this was because I struggled with obesity. In my early teens, I was told I was a bit on the heavy side to be a part of the cricket team and I felt a bit discriminated against because of my size.
“Listening to my dad and finding out the very important aspect of both health and fitness, you realize that you just can’t go to the gym and work out, you need to start eating healthier too. I love the new healthier me…. I strongly believe in the importance of both. I believe our health is our most valuable wealth which is why I’m strongly advocating for it.”
Mario is the Group Sales Manager at the Marriott Hotel and is currently one of the youngest sales managers in the Caribbean and Latin America. He is responsible for clients in oil and gas like ExxonMobil, as well as sports and anything to do with the Caribbean Premier League; he also deals with any client that wants ten or more rooms at the Marriott.
Additionally, Mario is a second-year student at the University of Guyana pursuing his bachelor’s degree in Business Management.
The India Guyana pageant should have been held last year but with the arrival of the pandemic, the pageant like everything else was cancelled. For Mario this meant waiting an additional year. When he learned that he was finally getting the opportunity to compete this year, he was nothing short of elated.
Mario pointed out that while the other eight contenders in the Mr India Guyana pageant brought their best to win the title, they were all supportive of each other also. “They made my journey much more easier. They were comfortable to work with and easy to communicate with and they overall helped with my growth. Also, the directors of the organization provided all of us, the males and the women competing in the other categories with the materials,” he shared.
He added that along with the materials, he and the other guys were provided mentoring and coaching by model and co-host of the pageant Suveer Ramsook, who was Mr Supranational Trinidad and Tobago 2018, currently the reigning Mr Grand International for Trinidad and Tobago and is about to represent his country on the international stage. Mario noted that they underwent intense training eight months prior to the pageant night, training for hours at a time.
If anything, Mario said, this pageant has shown him that once you believe in yourself, you have your own destiny in your hand and if you put your mind to accomplishing a goal, you can achieve it. One of Mario’s most recent accomplishments was learning to dance to cultural and Bollywood music, something he never realized he could do having always thought that he had two left feet. Reflecting on where he is more than a year after entering the India Guyana pageant, Mario boasts that he is already the best version of himself.
While for the most part things ran smoothly, Mario shared that his biggest challenge was being able to undertake his duties at work and pursue his studies while competing in the pageant.
He noted that his biggest supporters through all of it have been his grandmother, his father, his girlfriend, and his colleagues. Mario’s father and his grandmother are his inspirations in life. His grandmother, who raised him from a baby, resigned from her job so she could give him the best of care; she was the only mother he knew. His father has always believed in Mario’s dreams and helped to make them happen. With a grandmother and father for role models, Moonsammy shared that he has not had a drop of alcohol to date nor has he ever smoked. He enthused about not knowing what blackcake or Shandy tasted like and added that he is not even bothered by it, mentioning that it really is not the end of the world if he never does. He noted that he is not against people who choose to indulge, but added he is content with sipping on his water or orange juice.
More than anything, Mario is looking forward to impacting other youths who might be eyeing pageantry just as long as they have a purpose they are passionate about.
Speaking of his legacy, Moonsammy said, “I believe God put you on this earth to make a difference. I believe you should continue showing love to each other and live in harmony. Try your best to give your all in everything that you do and be respectful. I believe you treat the janitor the same way that you treat the GM. The way you treat someone is what defines you, more than having an education, more than all the wealth. That is what I want to be remembered for.,. so when I’m gone, everyone can say ‘Hey I miss that guy’.”
A former Tutorial High student, Mario has a diploma in Information Technology and is the recipient of the highest award from Marriott International, the President’s Circle Award as well as the Power Week Award, and Super Sales Star of the Quarter. Though he is already a fitness trainer, Mario is working towards becoming certified and hopes to someday have a fitness gym.
In his free time, the Taurus-born Mario likes playing and watching cricket and is currently following the cricket world cup in Dubai, he enjoys swimming and travelling also.
His favourite dishes are Dal Palak with Chicken Tikka Masala, Naan with Butter Chicken, and Vegetable Samosa.
Along with his grand title, Mario also won the People’s Choice Awards and Mr Physique.
He was expected to represent Guyana at the inaugural Mr India Worldwide pageant, but this has been postponed owing to the pandemic and only the Miss, Mrs and Teen India Worldwide will be contested. However, national director Hashim Alli noted that Mario’s journey does not end here as he has plans to ensure that he represents Guyana at another international pageant.
