"Shine like the whole Universe is yours," reads Harnaaz Sandhu's Twitter bio and she certainly gave it a meaning after being crowned the 70th Miss Universe at the Universe Dome in Eilat, Israel. Beating contestants from 79 countries she brought the title back to India after 21 years. Sandhu is the third winner of the title from India, after Sushmita Sen and Lara Dutta who won the prestigious spot in 1994 and 2000 respectively. Harnaaz's panacea for the stresses young woman face in response to the final question placing the final diamante in her crown. As the nation celebrates the victorious moment, here are final answers and crowning moments of the past Miss Universes from India.
Harnaaz Sandhu final answer and crowning moment
During the final question and answer round, Sandhu was asked what advice she would give young women on how to deal with the pressure they face today. "The biggest pressure the youth of today is facing is to believe in themselves, to know that you are unique and that's what makes you beautiful. Stop comparing yourselves with others and let's talk about more important things that's happening worldwide. This is what you need to understand. Come out, speak for yourselves because you are the leader of your life, you are the voice of your own. I believed in myself and that's why I am standing here today," she said to thundering applause.
Sushmita Sen final answer and crowning moment
Sushmita Sen was the first Indian woman to ever be crowned Miss Universe in 1994 in a glittering ceremony in the Philippines. In the final round, Sushmita was asked, “What for you is the essence of being a woman?” Keeping the grace and confidence, she responded saying, “Just being a woman is a gift of God that all of us must appreciate. The origin of a child is a mother, who is a woman. She shows a man what caring, sharing and loving is all about. That’s the essence of being a woman."
Lara Dutta final answer and crowning moment
Lara Dutta won the Miss Universe title in 2000. She was only the second Indian ever to have won the coveted title. During the final question/answer round, Lara was asked, “Right now, there is a protest going on right outside here calling the Miss Universe Pageant disrespectful of women. Convince them they are wrong.”
The answer that won her crown was: "I think pageants like the Miss Universe pageant gives us young women a platform to foray in the fields that we want to and forge ahead, be it entrepreneurship, be it the armed force, be it politics. It gives us a platform to voice our choices and opinions and makes us strong, independent that we are today.”
