Fashion - Indian Beauty Queens

With every passing year, one woman gets to see the result of her hard work and patience being rewarded in either of the two pageants namely Miss World and Miss Universe. Not only her beauty or intelligence but her grit and confidence are under hawk eyes. As we are through with the Miss Universe 2015, let's have a look at our homegrown beauties who clinched these titles with perseverance, finesse, and elan.

1. Reita Faria

Becoming not only the first Indian but the first Asian as well to have won the coveted Miss World, Reita Faria's win in 1966 foregrounded India's presence conspicuous in the years to come. She was the quintessential beauty with intelligence.

Instead of pursuing a career in the glamour circuit, Faria chose to continue with her studies in medicine at JJ College, Mumbai. She now resides in Dublin with her husband Dr. David Powell who was her mentor at Kings College Hospital, where she pursued higher studies in medicine.

2. Sushmita Sen

Unlike her fellow contestants, Miss India 1994 Sushmita Sen remained undeterred by the already favorite Aishwarya Rai and led her journey to grab the Miss Universe title, becoming the first Indian to do so.

She is now an actress in the Indian film industry. She also does charity work and is engaged in other entrepreneurial ventures. She is a single mother of two daughters namely Renne and Alisah.

3. Aishwarya Rai

Even before the pageant had started, everyone knew that Aishwarya Rai would become Miss India. She was so beautiful that some contestants had even left as per grapevine. However, luck worked the other way for this beauty; she was second only to Sushmita Sen who became Miss India and later Miss Universe. A student of architecture, Rai became a favorite at Sun City too, the venue of Miss World 1994. Her intelligence and poise while answering the final round question had brought home the crown then.

She is now the Most Beautiful Woman in the world and a veteran Bollywood actress. Married to fellow actor Abhishek Bachchan and a mother of a daughter, this green-eyed beauty was recently felicitated at Miss World 2014.

4. Diana Hayden

With the poetry of Yeats on her lips, the Miss World 1997 Diana Hayden bagged the title with her hard work, resilience, and determination. This Hyderabad lasso, unlike her contemporary winners, had no experience in modeling. According to sources, she was a complete tomboy, who eventually with her hard work, claimed to be the Athena of the event. She not only won the title, but a rare hat trick and was the only Miss World to do so, Miss Photogenic, Miss Beachwear, and the Miss World title.

She made various attempts in the Indian film industry like her contemporaries as well as in modeling. After contesting in the Indian reality TV show Big Boss, She went on to author the book A Beautiful Guide which is an encyclopedia on grooming and personality development. Diana Hayden is now married to Collin Dick.

5. Priyanka Chopra

Considered to be the bookies' favorite, Priyanka Chopra won the Miss World 2000. Despite her slightly goofed-up answer regarding the living person she admired the most, to which she replied Mother Teresa, she won the crown. At the age of 17, she aspired to become a clinical psychologist.

Priyanka Chopra now is one of the leading actresses in the Indian film Industry, with many awards in her bag, she seems to be acting in this part of the industry too.

6. Lara Dutta

"I think pageants like the Miss Universe pageant give us young women a platform to foray into the fields that we want and forge ahead, be it entrepreneurship, be it the armed forces, be it politics. It gives us a platform to voice our choices and opinions and make us the strong, and independent that we are today", said the very mature and elegant dusky beauty representing India at the 50^th Miss Universe 2000. Her final round question had concreted her win. She holds the record for carrying the maximum score of 9.954 at the interview round. Lara Dutta, from the beginning of the pageant, carried with her the poise of a title winner considering her former wins at various other national and international pageants.

She is now an actress and producer in the Hindi film industry. Married to world-acclaimed tennis star Mahesh Bhupati, she has a daughter named Sairah.