An honour that each model strives to achieve. In international beauty contests like Miss World, Miss Universe, Miss Asia, etc. India is represented by the Femina Miss India pageant.
The title of Miss India, often regarded as the pinnacle of beauty, encompasses much more than just physical attractiveness. Since it began in 1947, many have advanced and brought India the international awards they earned.
Reita Faria, the first Miss World from India, is an example of this. And Sushmita Sen, the first Indian to win the Miss Universe title.
Aishwarya Rai, Priyanka Chopra, Juhi Chawl, and Lara Dutta, the second Miss Universe from India, are notable women who, after winning Miss India, also won Miss World or Miss Universe.
From the year 1947 through the year 2022, we shall examine all of the Miss India winners’ names today.
Sini Shetty: Miss India 2022
Sini Shetty was crowned Miss India in July, 2022. She is presently enrolled in a CFA professional programme. Miss India, a professional model who is 21 years old and has a graduate degree in accounting and finance, is also a model.
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‘After the 2020 Miss India World, Manasa Varanasi, other contenders tested positive for Covid, the Miss India 2021 event was postponed and ultimately cancelled’.
Manasa Varanasi: Miss India 2020
Femina Miss India 2020 is an Indian model, engineer, and former winner of beauty pageants named Manasa Varanasi. As per 2022, she is 24 years old.
Manasa is currently seeking a career in modelling. She was recently sighted competing in the 70th Miss World 2021 competition representing India. She regretfully fell short of the top six competitors, but she still placed in top 13.
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Suman Rao: Miss India 2019
Miss India’s 56th edition winner, Suman Rao was crowned as Miss India in 2019. 25 years old graduated college with a computer science degree and began working at Factset, Hyderabad, as a Financial Information eXchange (FIX) analyst.
Now, Sehban Azim and Rao have signed together for the new song project “Ishq Paudiyan,” which was released in June 2022. Suman is anticipated to make her Bollywood debut shortly.
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Anukreethy Vas: Miss India 2018
The 55th Femina Miss India beauty pageant took place in Mumbai in June 2018 and Anukreethy Vas of Tamil Nadu won the title of Miss India 2018. Anukreethy was crowned as Manushi Chhillar of Haryana’s successor.
Miss India 2018 is currently advertising salons, other beauty businesses, and other things on social media with a lot of vigour.
Vas appeared in an advertisement for RENÉE’s foundation cosmetic products and MalabarGold. She has also made an appearance in a few Tamil and Punjabi songs like “Hello Kekudha” and “Ki E Loca.”
Anukreethy also uploaded a picture of herself from the set of a Tamil movie for which she has signed a contract. She will make her debut in Tamil movies.
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Manushi Chhillar: Miss India 2017
Manushi Chhillar of Haryana was crowned Miss India in 2017. When she entered a pageant, she was working toward her MBBS. She has just turned 25.
She was also crowned as Miss world 2017 and brought back the crown after 17 years. Manushi Chhillar, the Miss World 2017 finalist, made her acting debut in Samrat Prithviraj opposite Akshay Kumar.
Manushi Chhillar, a former Miss World, just made her acting debut in Bollywood with Samrat Prithviraj from Yash Raj Films. Manushi Chhillar, has joined Pantene as the company’s newest brand ambassador.
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Priyadarshini Chatterjee: Miss India 2016
Priyadarshini Chatterjee was crowned Femina Miss India World 2016, an Indian model and final winner of beauty pageants. She competed for India in the Miss World 2016 competition. She was India’s first representative from the northeast at Miss World.
Previously, Chatterjee was renowned for her acting abilities. She was spotted casting for the Bengali television series Jol Nupur. She appeared in the Bengali film Tolly Lights before that.
Priyadarshini is currently avoiding acting, but she is constantly and actively promoting her modelling photos and videos on Instagram.
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Aditi Arya: Miss India 2015
Aditi Arya was crowned Miss India 2015 by Koyal Rana. Aditi Arya then represented India at Miss World 2015, which was held in China.
Arya most recently appeared in the movie “83” as Mohinder Amarnath’s wife. In addition to her acting and modelling careers, she attends Harvard Business School to get a business degree.
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Koyal Rana: Miss India 2014
Femina Miss India 2014 was won by Indian model and former winner of beauty pageants Koyal Rana. When she was 15 years old, MTV Teen Diva brought her to public recognition.
She competed in Miss World 2014 at the age of 21, representing India, and made it into the top 10 with the highest score.
During the pandemic, the former Miss India married a businessman from Delhi. Instagram is where Koyal publishes images of her travels. She is not presently engaged in modelling or acting work.
She was seen alongside Honey Singh in his song, “Blue Eyes.”
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Navneet Kaur Dhillon: Miss India 2013
Indian model Navneet Kaur Dhillon served as the nation’s representative at Miss World 2013. Femina Miss India 2013, 50th edition, was won by her.
Navneet made her screen debut in the Ambarsariya, a regional Punjabi film.
She is presently the Pond’s White Beauty BB+ Fairness product brand ambassador. She is also running Yoga classes in Chandigarh and motivating her fans to stay healthy and fit.
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Vanya Mishra: Miss India 2012
Vanya Mishra was titled as Miss India 2012. She is an IIM degree holder. She travelled to Ordos, Inner Mongolia, China, to compete in the prestigious Miss World competition as India’s representative.
She is an Entrepreneur in the IT sector. After turning down several offers from the Bollywood and television industries, she decided to pursue her entrepreneurial passion.
She is the co-founder and managing director of her Android-based fashion discovery portal, SummerLabel.
Photo: Fan page on Instagram
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Kanishtha Dhankar: Miss India 2011
Miss India 2011 title was given to Kanishtha Dhankar. She also participated in the Miss World 2011 pageant, which was held in London, United Kingdom, on November 6, 2011, and placed in the top 30.
In 2008, Kanishtha acted as a model alongside former Miss World Priyanka Chopra and Kangana Ranaut in the critically acclaimed Madhur Bhandarkar film Fashion.
In a recent Vimal Elaichi commercial, Dhankar appeared as a ninja opposite Akshay Kumar.
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Manasvi Mamgai: Miss India 2010
Miss India 2010 was titled Manasvi Mamgai. Later, she discarded her last name and now only goes by Manasvi.
Manasvi attended Actor Prepares, Anupam Kher’s acting academy in Mumbai.
Currently residing in Los Angeles, Mamgai will return to India for work. She has appeared in a few Bollywood films, including “Action Jackson” and “Katti Batti.” Additionally, she has appeared in a few music tracks.
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Pooja Chopra: Miss India 2009
In 2009, Pooja Chopra was crowned Miss India World.The diva’s dream to be a beauty queen never changed. She is the first Indian to win the “Beauty with a Purpose” title at Miss World.
She is currently in charge of NGOs that assist young women who are struggling with poverty, as well as efforts to inform the public about pollution and organise clean-up events for the sea and beaches.
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Parvathy Omanakuttan: Miss India 2008
Having won the title of Miss India 2008, Parvathy Omanakuttan later finished as the first runner-up in Miss World 2008. At the Miss World 2008 pageant, she was also named Miss World Asia & Oceania.
She currently works as a chef full-time and is a member of Diabetes India’s culinary development committee. This is a nationwide organisation dedicated to the fight against diabetes and raising awareness among people of all ages.
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Miss India 2007: Sarah Jane Dias
Dias competed in Femina Miss India 2007. She subsequently won the Femina Miss India World 2007 title and competed in Miss World 2007 on behalf of her nation, although she did not place.
Recently, Dias appeared in Never Kiss Your Best Friend 2. She frequently advocates for the need of good mental health as part of her acting career since, despite winning the beauty pageant, she still has to deal with body shaming for being skinny, she revealed in an interview.
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Neha Kapur: Miss India 2006
Femina Miss India 2006 winner Neha Kapur went on to represent her country at the Miss Universe competition. She is married to British actor Kunal Nayyar.
Together with her spouse, Kapur is currently in the United Kingdom. She launched her own fashion label called designbykyo, which she later shut down. She is keeping away from modelling and acting but actively talks about her skin care routine on instagram.
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Amrita Thapar: Miss India 2005
Amrita was 2005 Miss India. She also represented India in the Miss Universe pageant. Amrita and Abdullah Khan, the late Salman Khan’s nephew, collaborated on projects as business partners.
Amrita isn’t particularly forthcoming about her personal life right now. She does not pursue an acting or modelling career and has kept her social media profiles private.
Photo: Fan page on Instagram
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Tanushree Dutta: Miss India 2004
At the age of 20, Dutta won the Femina Miss India title in 2004. She competed against 133 other nations in the Miss Universe pageant the same year. She placed among the top ten finalists.
Tanushree is renowned for her daring performances in the Bollywood film “Ashiq Banaya Apne.” Tanushree recently shared on Instagram that she declined a few offers for movie and television roles since she didn’t feel driven enough for them. She continued by saying that if the appropriate offer comes up, she will work without a doubt.
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Nikita Anand: Miss India 2003
Nikita was crowned beauty queen and won the title of Miss India 2003. She tried her luck in the Miss Universe pageant but her failure to place in Miss Universe 2003 put an end to India’s eleven-year run of success at the competition, which spanned 1992 to 2002.
Anand has made several film and television appearances. Her most well-known performance was in the movie Life mein Kabhie Kabhiee, when she played Dino Morea’s girlfriend.
She currently owns a studio called Nikita Anand Performance Studio.
Where you have the chance to work with her, she will empower you with the knowledge and perspective you need to reach your full potential.
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Neha Dhupia: Miss India 2002
This year, Neha Dhupia celebrated 20 years as Miss India. In 2002, she took home the Miss India crown.
Neha Dhupia recently appeared at the Miss India 2022 pageant. Dhupia is a well-known actress from India. She also appeared on the Indian television programme Roadies, however it is reported that she will no longer do so.
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Celina Jaitly: Miss India 2001
Jaitly was named Miss India 2001’s winner and finished as Miss Universe 2001’s fourth runner-up.Celina has also appeared in a few Bollywood movies.
She made her acting debut in the suspenseful 2003 movie Janasheen. In Seasons Greeting, she was last spotted. Right now, Celina is an LGBTQIA+ activist fighting for the rights of homosexuals and transgender people.
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Lara Dutta: Miss India 2000
Lara Dutta is a well-known Bollywood actress and the holder of the 2020 crown. She was the second Indian lady, after Sushmita Sen, to win the Miss Universe title.
She currently runs a business that sells wellness, home decor, and beauty items. The brand, Arias (her daughter’s name spelled backwards), was founded in 2019 and soon entered the kids’ clothing market.
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Yukta Mookhey: Miss India 1999
Yukta Mookhey was named Miss India World in 1999. In the same year, she also won Miss World.
She worked on a few Hindi and Tamil films. She last appeared in Good Newzz as a patient at an IVF clinic.
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Lymaraina D’ Souza: Miss India 1998
Femina Miss India Universe 1998 was awarded to Lymaraina D’Souza. In 1998, she competed as Miss Universe India. She was one of the top 10 contenders.
D’Souza later attended Hawaii Pacific University, where he completed her B.A. degree in psychology in 2002. She is currently a licensed professional counsellor (MPA, LPC) who works full-time.
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Nafisa Joseph: Miss India 1997
Nafisa was crowned Femina Miss India Universe 1997 and competed in Miami Beach’s Miss Universe 1997 competition as a finalist.
Indian model and video jockey for MTV, Nafisa Joseph appeared on the television screen multiple times. Shekhar Suman’s discussion show “Mover and Shekar” also extended an invitation to her. Currently she has kept herself away from TV and social media.
Sandhya Chib: Miss India 1996
Sandhya Chib was crowned as Miss India 1996 at the event. Sandhya was among Semi finalists in Miss Universe pageant in 1996.
After being married to Anup Jacob, she emigrated to the US. After that, barely anyone has seen or updated about her.
Manpreet Kaur Brar: Miss India 1995
Indian model Manpreet Kaur Brar represented India in Miss Universe pageant. She was the first runner-up at the 1995 Miss Universe competition and the 1995 Miss India winner.
She later rose to the position of brand ambassador for the iconic watchmaker Omega. She has also hosted the AD Club Awards, the Graviera Manhunt, and the Filmfare Awards.
She has hosted a number of television programmes over her career. Currently she is away from industry and looking after her family. She has two kids with her husband Arjun Walia.
Sushmita Sen: Miss India 1994
Sushmita Sen took Miss India crown home in 1994. She was also the first Indian lady to ever win the Miss Universe crown in 1994.
She is now an actor in Bollywood. She began her career with Mahesh Bhatt’s movie Dastak and has subsequently worked in numerous Bollywood movies.
She most recently appeared in the OTT series Arya. Sen also received a Filmfare Award for her work as a supporting actress in Biwi No.
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Namrata Shirodkar: Miss India 1993
Namrata Shirodhar was crowned Miss India 1993. She eventually entered Bollywood and began an acting career.
This year, Namrata Shirodkar turned 50. She is a mother of two children and married to actor Mahesh Babu and now lives in Hyderabad. She appeared in many bollywood blockbusters, like Kachche Dhagge, LOC and many more.
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Miss India 1992
Madhu Sapre- 1992 saw Madhu Sapre awarded Miss India title. India’s representative at the prestigious Miss Universe competition was Sapre. She represented India with pride and took home the second runner-up trophy.
A well-known name in Bollywood was Madhu. Due to her naked shoots for condom and shoe advertising, she has encountered controversy. She now resides with her Italian businessman husband Gian Maria Emendatori and their daughter Indira.
Miss India 1991
Christabelle Howie- Chritabelle Howie, a 1969-born woman, was crowned Miss India 1991. She later competed in the Miss Universe competition on behalf of India.
She began a new career in marketing and advertising after a brief flirtation with the beauty industry, and she even runs an agency. Howie is now living in Dubai.
Miss India 1989-1990
Suzanne Sablok- Miss India from 1989 to 1990 was Suzanne Sablok, an Indian model and previous winner of beauty pageants.
She went on to represent India at Miss Universe 1990, where she advanced to the semifinals and finished ninth, officially ending India’s 14-year absence from the competition.
Later, she decided to leave her modelling career behind and move to Australia with her husband, Rajesh Pillai.
Miss India 1988
Dolly Minhas- Dolly Minhas, a resident of Chandigarh, was crowned Miss India 1988. Soon after winning the competition, she decided to pursue an acting career. She married director Anil Matoo, after falling in love with him.
Dolly, 54, has made numerous appearances in Bollywood films like Kabhir Singh and television series like Chotti Sardarni and has not chosen to leave career in acting.
Miss India 1987
Priyadarshini Pradhan- Priyadarshini Pradhan was crowned as Miss India 1987. She also competed to represent India at Miss Universe 1987, where she took home the prizes for Best Asian Contestant and Best National Costume.
She featured in a number of music videos and hosted TV programmes for the BBC, SBC (Singapore), MBC (Mauritius), NHK (Japan), etc.
She produced numerous commercials for well-known companies like Britannia, Ericsson, Marlboro, Bombay Dyeing, Sunsilk, and many others. She then gave up on her modelling and acting passion.
Miss India 1986
Mehr Jessia- Jessia began her professional life in the 1980s and won the Femina Miss India crown in 1986. She immediately joined the first group of supermodels from India, including Madhu Sapre, Feroze Gujral, Shyamolie Verma, and Anna Bredmeyer.
Mehr is Arjun Rampal’s ex wife. She is now a film producer, model and a professional fashion designer. I See You (2006) was produced by Jesia and Arjun Rampal through their production business Chasing Ganesha.
Miss India 1985
Sonu Walia- Bollywood actress Sonu Walia is also a Miss India 1985 winner and a model. At her birth she was named Sanjeet Kaur Walia.
Walia, a journalism and psychology graduate, started modelling before competing in the Miss India pageant.
Sonu also appeared in many Bollywood films and television serials. She made her film debut in Shart as a model. For her work in the movie Khoon Bhari Maang, she won the Filmfare Best Supporting Actress award.
In 2016, she and her brother-in-law co-produced the movie Jogiyaa Rocks. These days, she is employed as a producer.
Miss India 1984
Juhi Chawla- Juhi Chawala won the title of Miss India in 1984. She rose to prominence as one of the main actresses in Hindi cinema from the late 1980s to the early 2000s after winning the 1984 Miss India beauty pageant.
She is a co-owner of the Kolkata Knight Riders cricket team in the Indian Premier League, together with her husband and Shah Rukh Khan.
She co-founded Dreamz Unlimited with Khan, which produced three films beginning with their self-starring Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani. She was last seen in Sharmaji Namkeen (2022).
Miss India 1983
Rekha Hande- In 1983, Rekha Hande was crowned Miss India. She has won several more titles, including Spring Queen, Pond’s Queen, May Queen, and Miss Karnataka and Miss Bangalore. She was the first runner-up in Eve’s Weekly.
Rekha Hande got married with a US based doctor and is currently providing social service by working with a charitable organisation. She is residing in the US.
Miss India 1982
Pamela Singh- Miss India 1982 was Pamela Chaudry Singh, also known as Pamella Bordes for a few years. Back in the 80’s Pamela has been in the spotlight for her escort service in Britain. She was well known for creating soft porn.
Pamella, now lives in Goa. She has become a recluse and lives off the meagre profits from her photographs. She lives a bohemian lifestyle.
With her new appearance, she is now in her fifties and no British person can identify her. In addition to practising yoga, she is also a member of the Himalayan Climbing Club.
Miss India 1981
Rachita Kumar- Nandini Rachita Kumar is the new name for Rachita Kumar. In 1981, Rachita Kumar took home the title of Miss India. She later competed in Miss Universe 1981 on behalf of her nation. She got married and is now a homemaker in Bangalore.
Miss India 1980
Sangeeta Bijlani- Miss India 1980 winner was Sangeeta Bijlani. She debuted in Bollywood in 1988 with the lead part in Qatil, and she then played one of the three female protagonists in Tridev.
Bijlani continues to pursue a career in acting and modelling. She resides in Mumbai and is 61 years old. She most recently appeared in Color TV’s Chhoti Sardarni as Mehr Kaur’s mother.
Miss India 1979
Swaroop Sampat- Swaroop Sampat represented India in Miss Universe 1979 after winning the Miss India pageant in 1979.
With the wildly successful TV sitcom Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi, in which she portrayed Shafi Inamdar’s wife, Swaroop Sampat found success.
She currently instructs disabled youngsters in acting. She is a trainer who travels over India giving workshops to teachers to share this information for the benefit of the kids.
Miss India 1978
Alamjeet Kaur Chauhan- Alamjeet competed in the Femina Miss India pageant in 1978 and won the crown. She was also awarded the pageant’s winner of the Miss Beautiful Smile sub-award.
She competed in the Miss Universe pageant in 1978 and took home the prize for best national costume. She was the first Indian woman to receive a special prize at the Miss Universe competition.
Alamjit is now a judge who resides in the UK. She wed a New Delhi-born orthopedist physician.
Miss India 1977
Nalini Viswanathan- The 1977 Miss India crown was taken home by Nalini Viswanathan. She made history by declining to compete in the Miss Universe pageant because her father would not let his daughter walk down the ramp in a swimsuit.
Nalini got married in an arranged marriage not long after the competition. Unfortunately, her marriage ended ten years later. Nalini now is a homemaker in Delhi and lives with her husband Sanjeev Walia, a marketing manager at Telstra Communications.
Miss India 1976
Nalini Viswanathan- Naina participated in the Femina Miss India pageant in 1976 and ultimately took home the prized crown. She participated in the Miss Universe competition that year but remained unplaced.
She performed in Bollywood movies. She performed in the Manzil television soap opera.
She ran on the BSP ticket and lost the election against N. D. Tiwari.
She currently designs jewellery.
Miss India 1975
Meenakshi Kurpad- Meenakshi won Miss India pageant 1975. After winning the crown, Meenakshi Kurpad kept a low profile, therefore not much is known about her.
Miss India 1974
Shalini Bhavnath Dholakia- Shalini Dholakia was crowned Miss India 1974. In 1974 Dholakia Shalini represented India at Manila Philippines in Miss Universe pageant and finished in the Top 12.
She now resides in California, USA, and is a millionaire and the owner of 4 ComfortStar Companies.
Miss India 1973
Farzana Habib- Farzana Habib won Miss India 1973 title. She represented India in 1973 and made it to semifinals by getting placed in top 12 contestants.
After going to Greece to learn the art of sculpting, after that she went to the USA. She met Andrew Levy, a lawyer, there and fell in love with him. She eventually got married and settled in the USA.
Miss India 1972
Roopa Satyan- Lt. Roopa Satyan was crowned Miss India in 1972. She also placed among the top 12 in the 1972 Miss Universe competition.
Satyan took her last breath in 2017. She was an Air Hostess and a fashion designer in her early years.
Miss India 1971
Raj Gill- Raj Gill was crowned as Miss India 1971. Raj hailed from Maharashtra and was a super model of her era.
Per Ardua Ad Astra, which translates to through steep and laborious routes to the stars, was Raj Gill’s motto. She resided in London and worked as the director of a multinational corporation till her late 80’s.
Miss India 1970
Veena Sajnani- Veena’s friends filled out the Miss India application on her behalf when she was working as a model. Unaware of the competition, she walked the ramp and took home the Miss India crown.
After winning the contest, Veena kept up her love of modelling and participated in a few television series. She even gave fashion designing a shot. There is no current update of 1970’s crown winner.
Miss India 1969
Kavita Bhambhani- In 1969, Kavita Singh was crowned Miss India. She competed in the Miss Universe pageant as the representative of India, however she did not fare well.
Now, she is a well-known art collector and interior decorator. After a brief modelling career, Kavita married industrialist Jasjit Singh and decided to work as an interior decorator.
Miss India 1968
Anjum Mumtaz Barg- Miss India 1968 was finished by Anjum as a titleholder. It is said that Anjum entered the competition just for fun and not with the idea of making a career in modelling.
She got married at an early age and flew to the United States. She reduced her social circle after getting married and made the decision to avoid the media and the spotlight.
Miss India 1967
Nayyara Mirza- In 1967, Nayyara Mirza won the competition. The woman defied expectations by entering the contest despite coming from a traditional Muslim family.
She converted to Hinduism after getting married and is now living in the USA. She currently goes by the name Nalini Patel
Miss India 1966
Yasmin Daji- Yasmin received the Femina Miss India 1966 title. She participated in Miss Universe 1966 as a representative of India and won third runner up.
She served as the Indian brand’s spokesperson. She returned to the United States and got married after completing her education in medicine and her reign as Miss India Universe. She has two sons.
Miss India 1965
Persis Khambatta- In 1965, she competed and won the Femina Miss India pageant. She was the third Indian lady to compete in the Miss Universe competition.
She also took home the Miss Photogenic prize at the Femina Miss India pageant.
She was a model for brands like Revlon, Air India, and others and appeared in a Rexona soap advertisement.
In 1998, at the age of 49, she passed away from a massive heart attack.
Miss India 1964
Meher Castelino Mistri- Meher Castelino Mistri participated and won Miss India 1964. Meher Mistry started writing for reputable journals after the contest.
The two books she has written are Manstyle and Fashion Kaleidoscope. She is now a recognised fashion critic on a global scale and has received Kingfisher’s “Hall of Fame Fashion Writer Award.”
Miss India 1962
Ferial Karim- Ferial Karim won the title of Miss India 1962. She represented India in the Miss World 1962 pageant.
Karim was the semi finalist in Miss World. She secured 11th rank in the competition.
Not much information is available about Ferial.
Miss India 1961
Veronica Leonara Torcato- Miss India 1961 was declared to be Veronica Leonanra Tarcato. She competed in the Miss International competition shortly after gaining the title and represented India.
After finishing her term as Miss India, Torcato decided against going into the film industry and gave up modelling.
Miss India 1960
Lona Pinto- Pinto, the Miss India 1960 winner and first woman to represent India in the inaugural international competition.
Pinto began her career as a bank teller at the Mumbai branch of the Bank of America before participating in beauty contests.
In Angeles City, Philippines, on November 11, 2012, Pinto died from breast cancer. At Mumbai’s Cathedral of the Holy Name, a Catholic Mass was said in her honour.
Miss India 1959
Fleur Ezekiel- Indian model Fleur Ezekiel was named Eve’s Weekly Miss India 1959 and represented India in Miss World 1959. She was the first Miss India winner of the Eve’s Weekly pageant.
She was an Indian trailblazer who, as the first Indian to compete in Miss World, launched India into the spotlight but remained unplaced.
Information regarding her present life is scarce.
Miss India 1954
Leela Naidu- In 1954, Leela Naidu was named Femina Miss India. The following year, she was named one of the top ten most attractive women in the world by Vogue magazine.
At the age of 69, Leela Naidu passed away in Mumbai on July 28, 2009, from lung failure brought on by a protracted case of influenza. On July 29, her funeral service was held at Chandanwadi Crematorium.
Miss India 1953
Peace Kanwal- In 1953, Kanwal, a well-known actress from Bollywood, won Miss India. After winning the contest, she started acting and gave up on her desire to follow in her father’s footsteps and become a doctor.
Kanwal appeared in the films Chambal ki Kasam and Aasmaan before his final appearance on a big screen in 1991’s Woh Subah Kabhi To Aayegi. She no longer has any connections to the film industry and is entirely focused on painting and social work.
Miss India 1952
Indrani Rahman- Indrani took home the title of Miss India in 1952. She afterwards joined her mother Ragini Devi’s business. During her overseas trips, she revived the Odissi traditional dance style from India.
The Padma Shri award was given to Indrani in 1969.
She eloped at the age of 15 and married renowned architect Habib Rahman in 1945. On February 5, 1999, Indrani Rahman passed away in Manhattan, New York.
Miss India 1947
Esther Victoria Abraham (Pramila)- At the age of 31, Pramila won the first Miss India contest in 1947. She had already established herself as an actress before she competed. She was the first female film producer. She converted to Islam after marrying Hasan Ali Zaidi. She is well known for her work in Harami Betiya in 1936. Pramila died in August 2006.
