Indian women have
played a pivotal role since time immemorial. Going back to the year 1653,
Emperor Shah Jahan was a man obsessed, obsessed with the beauty of his wife.
Not having an international pageant in those days he immortalized her beauty in
the form of a beautiful mausoleum, ‘The Taj Mahal’, one of the Wonders of the World, a tourist
destination of international repute.
From an
excellent homemaker to qualified professionals and being economically
independent, our beauties have made the world sit up and take notice. In the
year 1994 when Indian beauty Sushmita
Sen vied for the title of Miss
World, all eyes were glued on her. With
the aplomb of an international icon, she glided through the slash of the
ramp. Her very high-fashion,
international look set her instantly apart from the ‘dumb bombshell’
category. Here was someone intelligent,
sophisticated and amazingly beautiful.
The world recognized that and she was awarded the Miss Universe Crown
circa 1994! Of course, she was not the
first to receive this acclaim, long before her in the year 1966, Rita Faria,
the daughter of a Byculla hair-dresser had also won the coveted Miss World
title.
Indian beauties
like Ujjwala Raut and Rhea Pillai have been selected as the face of the
international brand, L’Oreal. The beauty community has not missed the sultry,
dark-skinned models. They have made
their mark on the world scene. The Elite Fashion House, USA , offered her an
assignment with them, instantly recognizing the exquisite ease with which she
could capture attention on the ramp, the
elegance that was so natural to her, that
even a discerning audience stared at her, and the clothes she displayed.
Priyanka Chopra, one of India’s highest paid actresses, also stole the crown of
Miss World, ____________
Yes, India has
produced a number of beauties, some
dusky, some fair and wheat-complexioned, all tall, with the most stylish of bodies. Persis Khambata comes to the mind for her foray
into Hollywood. She had won the Miss
India Beauty Pagent and participated in the Miss World contest. , her very
thin, waif-like body, enabled her to act in the ‘Star Trek series’as the
character Ilia against the much touted Captain Kirk. She set a new fashion
trend with her bald look!
In fact, along
with Sushmita Sen who was selected Miss Universe, 1994, Aishwarya
Rai was crowned Miss World 1994.
It was a double victory for the Indian Beauty. The creamy skinned, green eyed model was a definite winner as she sashayed down
the catwalk. Her exquisite good looks
were such that Aishwarya was featured as the world’s most beautiful woman on
the cover page of ‘Time Magazine’ . A rare and lasting honour. Today she is the most sought after actress in the Indian Film
Industry. She has also had the honour of
being a judge at one of the world’s most
prestigious events, the Film Festival at Cannes. Her prowess as an actress, and her glowing grace and good
looks are recognized by the world community.
It is not by
accident that India has managed to produce so many lovely winners. As in all major human accomplishments, it is
sheer grit and hard work. Long hours of
honing looks and skills, a laborious climb to the top rung of the ladder of
beauty. A professional training is given
to the finalists, and the face that India shows to the world is one which is
polished, refined and totally beauty queen stuff.
Frieda Pinto was
selected by Danny Boyle to play the female lead in the Hollywood Award winning
film, ‘Slumdog Millionaire’. The lovely
Lisa Ray, was voted the 9th most beautiful woman of the
millennium. The very first Indian to win
the Miss Asia Pacific Contest, 1970, was the ravishing Zeenat Aman. She went on to blaze a career as an actress
in the Indian Film Industry. Diana
Hayden, Miss World 1997, Lara Dutta, Miss Universe, 2000.
The list goes on
and on. Many, many beautiful women in
India, who have the gumption, the staying power and the determination to make a
name for themselves in the world of fashion and beauty. They have put India on
this map. No more is the Indian woman
the shy, behind the shawl, peeping shadowy figure, afraid to show her
face. She has stepped forward, bold and
unafraid, very sure of herself, proud of her toned body and lovely face.
One has to only
look around our rural areas to find what a wealth of beauty abounds there! The
features, the colour of their skin, the grace with which they carry
themselves….if only they all could be polished, they would shine like diamonds
on the international scene!! Indians are naturally beautiful…and given the
opportunity would be leagues ahead of women in other countries.
Beauty, power and determination define an Indian woman. She can take the
world and win.
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