Indian beauty queen Harnaaz Sandhu was crowned Miss Universe 2021 in Eilat city of Isreal on December 13. The 21-year-old from Punjab was pitted against contestants from Paraguay and South Africa in the final round.
Sandhu has brought the Miss Universe crown back to India after 21 years. The last Indian woman to win this contest was Lara Dutta, who won the crown in 2000.
Andrea Meza, former Miss Universe 2020, who hails from Mexico, presented Sandhu with the crown. Sandhu represented India at the 70th edition of the pageant after being crowned Miss India Universe 2021 in October this year.
Nadia Ferreira of Paraguay was the first runner-up, while Lalela Mswane of South Africa was the second runner-up at the pageant.
Suggested Reading: Who Is Harnaaz Sandhu? Winner of Miss Universe 2021
Sandhu is currently pursuing a Master's degree in the field of public administration. Sandhu has over 309,000 followers on Instagram and is known to have worked in Punjabi films such as Bai Ji Kuttange and Yaara Diya Poo Baran.
She took to her social media handle on Monday much later after she was announced as the Miss Universe 2021 and expressed gratitude towards everyone who helped in her journey in separate posts. In a post, she wrote a lengthy message about how her win is dedicated to her motherland India and wrote, "India, this one is for you." As per reports, Sandhu will be moving to New York to carry out her work as a spokesperson of several causes including the Miss Universe pageant's. She will advocate for menstrual equality.
Prior to stepping out to represent India at the Miss Universe pageant, Sandhu had shared a note of gratitude for all those who had been a part of her journey building up to the global pageant. "It has never been my journey, it has been Our journey. I began with baby steps and as I come closer to the end, I wish to thank all my panelists for being an intergral part of my learning. I thank my designers for making me shine at the pageant. Thank you for moulding me into the girl you see on stage today," she captioned her post.
In the statement shared Sandhu thanked her family for standing by her always. "Thank you to all my panelists & designers who have put together so beautifully this woman who now stands in front of you."
In another post shared on Instagram prior to the event, Sandhu could be seen offering prayers at the Golden Temple in Amritsar. "Faith is unseen. It's felt. It's the feeling I have in my heart today. I have faith in God, my family and the blessings you all have showered on me. I have enjoyed my journey and as we near the end of this beautiful pageant, I want to re live memories with my family, my Punjab. I want you all to know, that Im grateful for each and every one of you and for all the experiences I had in these 1.5 months," she captioned this post.
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