A daughter of farmers who wanted her to focus on her studies, Miss India World Nandini Gupta is grateful for her humble beginnings and gradual rise to the top.
Interview: Anita Aikara
Photographs, videos: Rajesh Karkera, Hitesh Harisinghani/Rediff
The city of Kota in Rajasthan has countless examples of academic success and failures.
It also has other tales of success; one such story that stands out is that of Nandini Gupta, the 23 year old who is representing India at the ongoing 72nd Miss World competition in Hyderabad.
Hailing from a Rajasthani background, Nandini Gupta's rise from aspiring fashion model to Miss India World is nothing short of inspiring.
"My father (Sumit) is a farmer and my mother (Rekha) helps him in organic farming," she told Rediff in an interview last year while preparing for the Miss World pageant currently underway at Hyderabad.
Nandini grew up with her younger sister and chacha (uncle) and recalls a defining moment from her childhood. Whenever people would ask her and her younger sister, 'Do you have a brother?' her mother would smile and say, 'Nahi, yehi mere do Anmol Ratan hai.' That phrase stayed with Nandini.
"I always try to be the ratan (diamond) for her," says Nandini, "so she can cherish me."
Like mother, like daughter
The legacy of talent and beauty runs in her veins, says Miss India World. She reveals how in the video below:
Rajasthan to Mumbai: A journey of new dreams
Nandini was crowned Miss India in 2023. Looking back, she says it wasn't an easy decision for her parents to send their daughter to Mumbai to pursue her dreams.
They had a condition, one that most parents lay down for their children when they insist on following their dreams :)
Now, she hopes she can fulfill her parents' and the nation's dream by bringing the Miss World crown home.