Meher Mistry / Castelino: Miss India 1964 After the pageant, Meher returned to modelling. She also took up writing features on fashion in reputed magazines. She has authored two books, Manstyle and Fashion Kaleidoscope. At present, this proud mother of two is much sought-after fashion critic. <br><br><br/>
Persis Khambatta: Miss India 1965 She starred in the highly popular series
Star Trek , for which she is remembered even today.
Newsweek called her the Sophia Lauren of India. Few could have Persis' insight into the world of Miss India. She was the brain behind
Pride of India , a comprehensive compilation of all Miss India winners 1947 to 1997. Persis passed away in 1998.
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Yasmin Daji: Miss India 1966 Then 19, Yasmin, a medical student from Delhi, not only won the Miss India crown but also went to be the runner-up at the Miss Universe contest later that year. She returned home and completed her studies. Today, Yasmin is happily married and settled in New York.. <br><br><br/>
Nayyara Mirza: Miss India 1967 In the sixties, Nayyara Mirza defied all oppositions and took a bold step by participating in Femina's Beauty Contest. On her return from the Miss Universe contest, she was inundated with offers for movies. However, she refused all and preferred to settle down in holy matrimony. Today, she is known by the name of Nalini Patel. <br><br><br/>
Anjum Mumtaz Barg: Miss India 1968 She came from the conservative city of Hyderabad, and entered the competition for fun. Anjum made history by winning the title. Today, she is happily married to a neurosurgeon in the United States. <br><br><br/>
Kavita Bhambani: Miss India 1969 Unlike others who went on to become homemakers, successful models or actresses, Kavita became a successful interior designer.. She is also known for having championed the cause of Indian art and architecture. <br><br><br/>
Veena Sajnani: Miss India 1970 After winning the title, she continued modelling for some time. She also took up acting and featured in a number of television serials and finally got into fashion designing. Today, she is married and settled in Bangalore and enjoys playing golf.
Raj Gill: Miss India 1971 She lives by her motto Per Ardua Ad Astra which means "by steep and toilsome ways to the stars".
Well, she did reach the stars by winning the Miss India title in 1971.
And, today, she still shines brightly. At present, she is living in London, and is the director of a multinational company.
Roopa Satyan: Miss India 1972 After graduating, she entered and won the Femina Miss India 1972 title.
And travelled all the way to Puerto Rico for the Miss Universe pageant. After returning home, Roopa found that the Miss India title had transformed her life. " Everything seems so easy" she said. Unfortunately, today, Roopa is on the verge of a bitter divorce.
Farzana Habib: Miss India 1973 "...That evening changed my life: I was crowned Miss Delhi ; became Miss India in Bombay and fled to Greece..." said Farzana.
From Greece, she went to the US, where she learnt the art of sculpting. There she met a brilliant lawyer, Andrew Levy, whom she finally married.
Shailini Dholakia: Miss India 1974 She flew from Bombay for the Miss Universe pageant in Phillipines, and returned home as a semi-finalist.
She was offered roles in movies, which she refused. Instead, she decided to travel the world with a man who offered her security. She is well settled in California and is the director of 4 companies of the Comfort Star Group.
Meenakshi Kurpad: Miss India 1975 Meenakshi maintained a low profile after she won the crown and, hence, little is known about her.
Naina Balsaver: Miss India 1976 The only Miss India who had to withdraw from the Miss World pageant due to India's protest against apartheid, Naina married politician Akbar Ahmed and even contested in the Indian parliamentary elections. She is currently busy with her dream project: A wildlife reserve.
Nalini Vishwanathan: Miss India 1977 She created history by refusing to participate at the Miss Universe pageant in compliance to her father's stand as he would not allow his daughter to walk down the ramps in a swimsuit.
Soon after the contest, Nalini had an arranged marriage. Unfortunately, a decade later, her marriage broke up. Now married to Sanjeev Walia, marketing manager with Telstra Communications, Nalini lives in Delhi.
Alamjeet Chauhan: Miss India 1978 Alamjeet won the best national costume award at the Miss Universe contest. Presently, she is a practising Supreme Court lawyer.
Swaroop Sampat: Miss India 1979 She starred in the eighties serial
Yeh joh hai jindagi , which was immensely popular and launched her career as an actress. Today, she leads a happy married life with Bollywood actor Paresh Rawal.
Sangeeta Bijlani: Miss India 1980 A name to reckon with on the ramp, Sangeeta switched to acting in Hindi films before she married the famous cricketer Mohammed Azharuddin.
She and Azhar have launched their own production company, which will produce television serials.
Rachita Kumar: Miss India 1981 She always considered herself a good model. And winning the Miss India title came as a pleasant surprise to her. By the time the fizz of the Miss India title settled, it was almost one-and-a-half years and, by then, Rachita had married and started a new life. Today, people know her by the name Nandini Thackersey.
Pamela Singh: Miss India 1982 Her bone structure caught everyone's eye even then. Our Miss India 1982, however, went on to attract more notoriety than fame. Now, she is a serious photo-journalist and keeps as low a profile as someone with her looks can.
Rekha Hande: Miss India 1983 Miss Garden City, Spring Queen, Pond's Queen, May Queen, Aero Princess, Giants Queen and Eve's Weekly first runner-up, followed by the Miss India crown. She was truly a beauty queen with merits to prove it. However, Rekha did not pursue this glamorous field. She soon got married to a doctor in the US. And, today, she works for charity organisations.
Juhi Chawla: Miss India 1984 She is probably among the finest model-turned- actresses that we have today. She got married to millionnaire Jay Mehta in 1996. The enterprising lady has now started a film production company with actor Shah Rukh Khan and director Aziz Mirza, and is doing pretty well for herself.
Sonu Walia: Miss India 1985 A psychology graduate and a student of journalism, Sonu Walia took up modelling before she entered the Miss India contest. After winning the title, she embarked on a career in film acting and won accolades for her performance in her very first film....
Mehr Jessia: Miss India 1986 Perhaps one of the most popular models in India, Mehr today manages a successful model management agency in partnership with Vijay Mallaya, the liquor baron. And she's happily married to another leading model, Arjun Rampal.
Priyadarshini Pradhan: Miss India 1987 If she had not won the Miss India title, she would have been an architect. She won the best national costume award at the Miss Universe pageant. Later, she obtained a management degree on the insistence of her parents, but finally flew as an air hostess with Kuwait Airways.
Dolly Minhas: Miss India 1988 Winning the contest was a matter of chance for this light-eyed beauty from Chandigarh. Soon after winning the contest, she opted for a career in acting. She fell in love with the director of her first film, Anil Matoo, whom she eventually married. Today, Dolly acts in Kannada movies and television serials.
Suzanne Sablok: Miss India 1989/90 She created ripples at the Miss Universe contest by coming second in the swimsuit round although she muffed in the final answer round. After the pageant, she was a leading model and, at the peak of her career, quit modelling to marry the man she loved, Rajesh Pillai.
Ritu Singh: Miss India 1991 As the Miss India first runner-up, she represented India at the international pageant. And she won the second runner-up title at the Miss Asia World pageant. Back home, she took up modelling and compering. It was during one of her shows that she met her future husband. Today, she lives in Nepal and manages a boutique.
Madhu Sapre: Miss India 1992 This leggy lass and winner of Femina Miss India 1992 came within touching distance of the Miss Universe crown but was pipped by her own honesty. She still is the eternal ramp favourite. And now she's writing a book tentatively titled Tuff Girls Don't Talk Englis. The title says it all.
Namrata Shirodkar: Miss India 1993 Another model-turned- actress, Namrata had support of her sister Shilpa, who's a celebrated actress in Bollywood. Presently, Namrata is doing films and has a lot of them lined up for release as well.
Pooja Batra: Miss india second runner-up 1993 Who can miss Anil Kapoor's stunning city-bred girlfriend in the film
Virasat or the `Head & Shoulders' advertisement that is flashed on television so often. Today, Pooja devotes her time in doing meaningful roles and good films.
Sushmita Sen: Miss India 1994 She stunned the universe. And shone on Manila. Euphoria gripped India on May 21, 1994, when, for the first time ever, an Indian girl was crowned Miss Universe, at Manila, Philippines. That's Sushmita Sen, Miss Universe 1994.
Aishwarya Rai: Miss India first runner-up 1994 She first caught the audiences' fancy in the Pepsi advertisement with Aamir Khan. Soon after, she won the Femina Miss India title in 1994.. She made the country proud by also winning the Miss World title, and became the second Indian to be crowned Miss World in 28 years.
Manpreet Brar: Miss India 1995 An MBA student, Manpreet won the Miss Universe Runner-up title. Today, she leads a busy life with ramp shows and shooting for channel [V] as a VJ.. She also plans to be a TV producer some day.
Sandhya Chib: Miss India 1996 Years after winning the contest, Sandhya returned and took the stage by storm. Today, Sandhya is a successful model. Luck was not on her side at the Miss Universe pageant where she stood seventh. On her return from the pageant, she got engaged.
Rani Jeyraj: Miss India first runner-up 1996 The protests against the pageant were still echoing in the streets of India when the decision was taken by the organisers to hold the Miss World contest for the first time on home ground, Bangalore. And all expectations were on 21-year-old Rani, who made it to the final round of the Miss World contest. Today, Rani is a reputed ramp model.
Mini Menon: Miss India second runner-up 1996. She was nicknamed `Mini' by a nurse at the hospital when she was born, who thought that she - the little baby girl then - resembled Queen Padmini, the legendary queen of Chittor who was famous for her beauty. Last heard, Mini was pursuing a Ph.D in communications.
Nafisa Joseph: Miss India 1997 Winning the Femina Miss India crown did not come as a big surprise to her. She portrayed great confidence at the Miss Universe pageant as well, and in reply to one of the questions, she said that, to bring a child into the world and not able to offer it peace was the biggest injustice done in the world. Today, Nafisa is a known face as she rattles all the latest chart-busters on MTV.
Diana Hayden: Miss India first runner-up 1997 This little princess from Hyderabad flew out of the country only to return after being crowned the world's most beautiful woman, at the Miss World pageant on November 22, 1997, in Seychelles. And moments after winning the crown, she told the press that the title meant the world to her.
Divya Chauhan: Miss India second runner-up 1997 Divya Chauhan tied the knot but, not with a Sri Lankan as she had promised on a goodwill mission to the island nation. Instead, she settled with computer-engineer beau Avaneesh Kumar. Now, she has it all, a well-established export firm, a kidswear business, and a loving husband.
Lymaraina D'souza: Miss India 1998 How does a 19-year-old collegian who's never worn make-up before and who claims to "eat like a horse" and be "pretty laid-back about everything" get to be Femina Miss India-Universe 1998? Well, Lymaraina D'Souza was clear about her goals and nothing could stop her. She is pursuing her studies in Psychology in Hawaii.
Annie Thomas: Miss India first runner-up 1998 Annie had participated in 1996 too, but did not make it to the finals. Undeterred, she sent her application in 1998 and was lucky the second time round. "Ultimately, I want to settle down to a happy, married life. If I need to work to support my family, I will. But I would be quite happy to be a housewife", she said after winning the crown. Today, she is a TV star.
Vitika Aggarwal: Miss India second runner-up 1998 The girl with honey eyes and sparkling smile had long harboured the dream of winning the Miss India crown. Since the right things happen at the right time to the right people, Vitika found herself ready to take part in the contest in 1998. Today, she is a successful ramp model.
Gul Panag: Miss India 1999 She has tremendous faith in herself. Tremendous for a 21-year-old, at least. After obtaining a doctorate in developmental economics. She entered the media, inspired by her newsreader aunt, Komal G B Singh. However, things don't stop there. As she believes that the possibilities are endless.
Yukta Mookhey: Miss India first runner-up 1999 Her serenity and calm shone throughout the pageant. The 5'11'' tall brunette from India took London's Olympia theatre by storm in 1999. The year she was crowned Miss World. Ecstatic Yukta Mookhey told the media after winning the crown:"It is the best day of my life because I had this as a beautiful dream as a child, and now it's come true...''
Shivangi Parikh: Miss India second runner-up 1999 The stage was not new for Shivangi who had modelled for Hemant Trivedi & Achala Sachdev, starred in music videos and also won the Miss Mumbai pageant. And yet, she could not help feeling the 'butterflies in her stomach' as she answered the final question which won her the crown. She comperes a lot of shows and is a successful ramp model.
Lara Dutta: Miss India 2000 When she wore the crown on May 12, 2000, in the beautiful city of Cyprus, her triumph was best described as deserving. Lara Dutta describes her winning the Miss Universe title as being "a culmination of a dream" content.
Priyanka Chopra: Miss India first runner-up 2000 The eighteen-year- old gal from Bareilly, Priyanka Chopra beat out 94 other lovely ladies to claim the Miss World 2000 title. And she sashayed away with $100,000 as prize money at the Millennium dome, London.
Diya Mirza: Miss India second runner-up 2000 Think delicacy, poise, elegance and brains. Think Diya Mirza, a heavenly beauty from Hyderabad, who won the prestigious Miss Asia-Pacific title at the beauty pageant held on December 2, 2000, in Manila.
Celina Jaitley: Miss India 2001 The light-eyed lady with an hourglass figure, Celina Jaitley was definitely a crowd puller in the Femina Miss India contest. Little wonder, then, that she walked away with all the laurels and the precious title too.
Sara Corner: Miss India first runner-up 2001 She looks the quintessential doll. But underneath her delicate beauty, Femina Miss India - World 2001 Sara Corner is an epitomb of determination and maturity.
Maheshwari Thyagrajan: Miss India second runner-up 2001 Even as her life somersaults to be laced with blissful happenings, Miss India Asia-Pacific 2001 Maheshwari feels there are many targets yet to be achieved. A self-possessed girl, the beauty queen is trained in Bharatanatyam, classical singing and even in playing the mridangam.
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Nikita Anand Sunsilk Femina Miss India - Universe 2003 | Ami Vashi Sunsilk Femina Miss India - World 2003 | Swetha Vijay Sunsilk Femina Miss India - Earth 2003 |
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The queens are crowned. Winners of the Sunsilk Femina Miss India finals, held at Goregaon Sports Complex, Mumbai, on January 31, 2003 | |
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Swetha (Sunsilk Femina Miss India Earth- left)) and Ami (Sunsilk Femina Miss India World â€" right) kiss, Nikita, Sunsilk Femina Miss India Universe, as she is crowned
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Swetha, Sunsilk Femina Miss India - Earth, Nikita, Sunsilk Femina Miss India - Universe 2003 and Ami, Sunsilk Femina Miss India - World 2003 (from left), are all smiles, as they pose for the cameras after their crowning | |
| Femina Miss India-Earth 2003, Swetha, Femina Miss India-Universe 2003, Nikita and Femina Miss India World 2003, Ami (from left), see their dreams turn into reality |
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