India’s Harnaaz Sandhu won the Miss Universe 2021 title! The pageant was held at Eliat, Israel, and the last time India brought home the crown was in 2000. Sandhu won the crown by defeating Paraguay's Nadia Ferreira and South Africa's Lalela Mswane.
After her win was announced, Sandhu screamed, “Chakh de phatte India.”
Sandhu started participating in pageantry at the age of 17 and she has won the Miss Diva 2021 title along with Femina Miss India Punjab in 2019.
Talking about being selected for the Miss Universe pageant this year, Sandhu had told Times of India, “I always wanted to be called India on an international platform. Now it's happening; I have gotten the chance to represent 1.3 million people of my country on the world stage. I am so privileged and grateful for the opportunities I have received."
Sandhu shared a screengrab from a video call with her mother, brother, and aunt on Instagram and wrote, "My strength, my lifelines."
Miss Universe 2020 Andrea Meza of Mexico crowned Sandhu. After her win, Sandhu said, “I am immensely grateful to the Almighty, my parents, and the Miss India Organization for guiding and supporting me throughout. Loads of love to everyone who prayed and wished the crown for me.”
Harnaaz Sandhu and her fashion director Bharat Gupta shared pictures of her outfits. For the National Costume round, Sandhu wore a Abhinav Mishra legenga with a custom umbrella by Reza Shariffi.
The presenter introduced the costume as, “India's national costume is a regal and royal visual representation of a woman. While it showcases a royal Indian queen, it's mirror and umbrella elements are symbolic of the protective instinct of a woman.”
Here are some of the other outfits Harnaaz Sandhu wore during the Miss Universe 2021 pageant:
Sandhu was asked about the advice she wants to give to young women on how to deal with pressure, during the final Q and A round. Sandhu replied, “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.”
In October, Sandhu shared a picture with her mother with the caption, “My mom has been my biggest inspiration, she is the creator of my dreams and the ladder to achieve the same.”
Before she left for Israel, Sandhu had posted a picture with India’s flag. She captioned the post, “Your sherni leaves for Israel today to represent India and her dream on the Miss Universe stage! I cannot express my gratitude in words for all the love and support you all have showered on me in my journey.”
Take a look at the highlights of Harnaaz Sandhu's journey at the 70th Miss Universe:
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