''It's not about muscles, money or anything else; it's about achieving your dreams in this lifetime, about doing things today that you keep putting off for tomorrow, believing life to be endless, until it's too late!'' Impressive perception of life by a young man. Is it a wonder then that Dushyant Katewa represented India in Mister Planet '17, Georgia?

''I've always wanted to be a model and actor. My first attempt was in 2012 but due to academic pressure and no support I focussed on my education. But the desire to be a model never left me so in 2014 I made another attempt. I had realised that it's important to meet the right people for quality work. I could never imagine waking up at 7 a.m. for office, coming back late and repeating this routine the next day, every day! But for shoots and tvcs, I would not need an alarm clock! Then I realised I should do what makes me happy! I feel fortunate to have done good work. I have walked for great designers and done tvcs for Oberoi Hotels, DLF, Oppo Smart Phones, worked with Flipkart, Myntra, Amazon, Jabong, Voylla. And I've been a part of 'Happy Hours' and 'Life Ka Recharge' on &tv. I recently gave an audition for a serial and it went well; we're negotiating terms and conditions so good news is on its way!

I feel modelling is not about muscles, money or anything else… it's about achieving your dreams in this lifetime. Hey I'm no guru. I'm a regular guy. I set goals, miss targets and get demotivated. I struggle to deal with failure, criticism, defeat and injuries. I love challenges. I have faced rejections but in the end I paid attention to setting targets and becoming better than I was yesterday. I maintain a strict diet and workout regime! I'm juvenile diabetic so I'm careful about diet. And I never miss workouts. Fitness is a way of life, not a phase of life. I'm constantly bench pressing in the gym towards my own benchmarks. I want to get to a point where I can say, 'yes, I've got what it takes!!' You know, the best part about being a model is that you've got to be healthy and fit. In general, I have fixed workout plans, which I keep changing a little each month. As far as diet is concerned, I keep it simple, healthy yet interesting. Meanwhile, I crawl and fall, I despair, I cry. But that's acceptable, as pain and injury are temporary.  A great physique doesn't happen by accident. If you want to achieve it, you've got to go through pain. You have to shed all inhibitions and bare your soul; you have to go through life's fires as that's the only way what's inside of you will come out. As Sylvester Stallone says in a film, "The world meets nobody halfway; you want something, you gotta take it.''

Today I'm a businessman and model. I have a construction business 'Serenity Homes' and I follow both my passion and profession. It's important to be focussed and have set goals. Never settle for less. Maintain a lean body and focus on your talent. Hard work always pays. Practically speaking, I want to tell the youth that if you are passionate about being a model then start working for it today—there is no alternative to that. Also, one should have another way to earn bread and butter as there are lacs of models and the competition is so much that you can't afford to just be a model. These things run parallel.''

— JASMEEN DUGAL