Proud to be an Indian !!

 

We feel proud whenever someone from our country does something that brings good name to our country internationally.  Hence the whole country celebrates when a beauty from our country wins an international beauty contest.  We have been witnessing how well-received Miss World winners from India have been in our country.  The News channels and all the leading newspapers cover the news on front-page.  Whole day is filled with visuals about these beauties and their success stories.

1966 – Reita Faria was the first Miss World winner from India.  Really I have no idea how she was received by media in the country, but it was certainly something to appreciate.  Reita looked very sweet, sophisticated, fit and well-spoken.  There is a video of her addressing the army of a south east Asian country and it can make you feel really proud.  Winning such a pageant in those days is certainly something of a big deal.  Faria was a doctor and after completing her reign, she chose to continue her studies and practice her knowledge to serve the people.

1994 – Aishwarya Rai  It was quite a known fact that Aishwarya is competing in Miss World and she is a big favorite.  Many Indian newspapers had wrote about the same and many Indians were glued to national TV, eager to see how Rai performs.  And she did not disappoint!  I remember my father watching the show and how he thought the only competition Miss Rai had, was Miss Philippines.  Well, that time there was no internet so I can’t say he got swayed with the hype! 😛  Anyways, I can also easily remember the photo of Aish on the front page of newspapers.  It was a close face-shot.  She looked like a diamond with her glittering eyes.  Her reign was highly popular and she made Miss World famous.

1997 – Diana Hayden  Her win at the national pageant was not a surprise.  In those days, Miss India was a popular affair.  I remember watching the photos of the contestants in the newspapers.  I also remember how Diana had won the title for best smile.  Diana was one of the eldest girls in Miss World and it is said that she often rehearsed her victory moments of Miss World finale days before it actually happened.  She looked stellar in the beautiful gown by Hemant Trivedi and later impressed the world with her excellent personality in the famous TV show ‘Biography series’ on history channel.

1999 – Yukta Mookhey  It was the first year when Miss World telecast was so much publicized in India.  But honestly, no one thought Yukta would win.  She is not the “Miss World” kind of thing.  But still, she proved everyone wrong.  Her towering height, outstanding gown and classy personality helped her snatch the crown from the beautiful Martina Thorogood of Venezuela.  She was highly loved by many for her genuineness – her speech at Miss World 2001 brought tears of awe in eyes of many.

2000 – Priyanka Chopra  She was a surprise winner at Miss India and absolutely no one thought she would win, for she was not drop-dead-gorgeous and the reigning Miss World was already an Indian.  But still she proved everyone wrong.  She won the final round with a lot of ease and confidence.  She was highly well-groomed and looked ravishing in her gown.  At 18, her communication skills were unbelievable.  She is a very confident and positive girl, and these qualities helped her a lot in her professional life as a Bollywood actress too.

These are the 5 gems who brought fame and pride to the country.  India is eagerly waiting for the six queen to conquer the world with her grace and beauty.  Will we find her this year?  Only time will show.