“Chak de Phatte India”

(By Manasi Agarwal)

Harnaaz Kaur Sandhu, 21-year old model, and actor from Chandigarh have won the 70th Miss Universe 2021 title at Eilat, Israel on 12 December. She is the third Indian model to win this title after Sushmita Sen (1994) and Lara Dutta (2000). Sandhu was born and raised in Guruharsahai in a Haryanavi Sikh family. Her schooling was at Kalia Public School, Guruharsahai, and post-graduation from Government Girls College, Chandigarh. Currently, she is pursuing a master’s degree in public administration. She is fluent in Haryanvi, Hindi, and English. Sandhu was presented the crown by Andrea Meza, former Miss Universe 2020 from Mexico edging out Miss Paraguay and Miss South Africa to claim the crown. The event was live-streamed globally. As part of the top three rounds, the contestants were asked, “What advice would you give to young women watching on how to deal with the pressures they face today” Sandhu said “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.” In the top 5 she was asked “Many people think climate change is a hoax, what you would do to convince them otherwise?” The reply impressed everyone when she said, “My heart breaks to see how nature is going through a lot of problems, and it is all due to our irresponsible behavior. I totally feel that this is the time to take action and talk less. Because each action could save or kill nature. Preventing and protecting is better than repent and repair and this is what I am trying to convince you guys today.” She advanced from the initial pool of 80 contestants into the top sixteen, top ten, top five, and top three, before being crowned as the winner. Harnaaz is very close to her family and draws her inspiration from her mother Ruby Sandhu, who is a gynecologist by profession. I cried like a baby when I got to know about her win, Shared her mother with the media after the win. Harnaaz wore a pink-colored Maharani gown in the national dress costume round and a golden-maroon half-front open gown in the evening dress round. She posted a 3-minute 1-second video from the official Twitter account of the first Indian Miss Universe Sushmita Sen just before the finals and smilingly said, ‘’chak de phatte India’’ after winning the crown.

Sandhu started competing in pageantry as a teenager, winning titles such as Miss Ferozepur 2017 and Miss Max Emerging Star India 2018. After winning the title of Femina Miss India Punjab 2019, she competed in Femina Miss India and was placed in the Top 12. The turning point in her career came on 16 August 2021, when she was shortlisted as one of the Top 50 semi-finalists of Miss Diva 2021. Later on 23 August, she was confirmed as one of the Top 20 finalists to compete in the televised Miss Diva competition. During the preliminary competition held on 22 September, Sandhu won the Miss Beautiful Skin award and became a finalist for Miss Beach Body, Miss Beautiful Smile, Miss Photogenic, and Miss Talented. In the opening statement round during the grand finale as one of the top 10 semi-finalists, she stated:
“From a young girl with fragile mental health who faced bullying and body shaming to a woman who emerged like a phoenix, realising her true potential. From an individual who once doubted her own existence to a woman who is aspiring to inspire the youth. Today, I stand proudly in front of the Universe as a courageous, vivacious, and compassionate woman who is all set to lead a life with a purpose and to leave behind a remarkable legacy.
She was selected in the succeeding round of the competition. During the final question and answer round, the top 5 contestants were each given different topics to speak about, which the contestants themselves picked through the draw. Sandhu had selected “Global Warming and Climate Change”, to which she conveyed:
“One day, life will flash before your eyes, make sure it’s worth watching. However, this is not the life you want to watch, where the climate is changing and the environment is dying. It is one of the fiasco that we humans have done to the environment. I do believe that we still have time to undo our irresponsible behavior. Earth is all we have in common and our small acts as individuals when multiplied by billions can transform the whole world. Start now, from tonight, switch off those extra lights when not in use. Thank you.” At the end of the event, she was crowned Miss Diva 2021 winner by the outgoing titleholder Adeline Castelino.

Harnaaz brought laurels to the country after 21 years. She was just 50 days old when Lara Dutta has crowned Miss Universe. Everyone including Sushmita Sen, Lara Dutta, and others congratulated her on her big achievement.