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Who Is Harnaaz Sandhu, Miss Universe 2021? Sandhu took interest in the world of beauty when she was a teenager

By S Shanthi

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Times of India

21 seems to be a lucky number for Harnaaz Sandhu, a 21-year-old who brought back the Miss Universe crown to India 21 years after Lara Dutta won it in 2000.

What's more interesting is that just when the enthusiasm around beauty pageants seemed like ending, this news has brought back the excitement that beauty pageants used to offer the Indian audience in 90s when the likes of Aishwarya Rai, Sushmita Sen, Priyanka Chopra, Lara Dutta, and few others won the prestigious titles.

Harnaaz Sandhu was crowned by former Miss Universe 2020 Andrea Meza at the 70th Miss Universe 2021 held in Eilat, Israel. The first and the second runners-up were Paraguay and South Africa respectively.

Who Is Harnaaz Sandhu?

Sandhu was born on 3 March 2000 and hails from Punjab. She has also been crowned Miss Diva 2021. Third Indian to attain the coveted title, she was crowned Miss India Punjab in 2019 and became a semi-finalist at the Miss India pageant in 2019.

Sandhu was born and brought up in Guruharsahai, went to Kalia Public School. Her interest in the beauty world began when she was a teenager and she won titles such as Miss Ferozepur in 2017 and Miss Max Emerging Star India in 2018.

Sandhu is currently pursuing her masters' degree in public administration.

She has always been known to be a confident young girl, which shined in the way she replied to the question as part of the top three round at the event. The contestants were asked, "What advice would you give to young women watching on how to deal with the pressures they face today", to which she replied, "The biggest pressure the youth of today is facing, is to believe in themselves. To know that you are unique makes you beautiful. Stop comparing yourselves with others and let's talk about more important things that are happening worldwide. Come out, speak for yourself, because you are the leader of your life. You are the voice of your own. I believed in myself and that is why I am standing here today."

S Shanthi

Former Senior Assistant Editor

Shanthi specializes in writing sector-specific trends, interviews and startup profiles. She has worked as a feature writer for over a decade in several print and digital media companies. 

 

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