Chandigarh girl Harnaaz Sandhu brings home the Miss Universe title after 21 years!

Sheetal

Chandigarh girl Harnaaz Sandhu has made the nation proud by winning the Miss Universe title. Born in Gurdaspur, Punjab, the model-actor is taking the responsibility of the crown head-on as she shared a video message on her official handle which started with the salutation in Hindi and Punjabi for the universe as she implores, “It’s time to save the universe and let’s do it together.”

The 21-years coincidence

Harnaaz has also shared an official statement post the big win, “I am immensely grateful to the Almighty, my parents, and the Miss India Organization for guiding and supporting me throughout. Loads of love to everyone who prayed and wished the crown for me. Bringing the glorious crown back after 21 years to India is a moment of greatest pride.”

Born in 2000, when India had last won the same title by Lara Dutta, it seems it was meant to be as 21-year-old won it in the year 2021.

‘Not all glamourous’

Harnaaz says she was a raw contestant at the time she competed for Femina Miss India back in 2019. She won Miss India Punjab title and it was then that she was exposed to what beauty pageant meant. She says, “I got to know in that competition what it meant to be representing your country. I developed a purpose and since then working on achieving it.”

From being an outsider aspiring to win to becoming an insider who had won it for the nation and now the title of Miss Universe, her perception for pageants is firm, “It’s not at all about looking glamourous. It’s so much more than that. Having a huge stage to speak your mind, it demands a lot of courage and the courage is about your ideas and perception which you refuse to change because of others.”

For Harnaaz, the one thing that she counted in her strengths: “I think I held on to the aura I was born with. And rather than compromising it on my world view, I just polished it with my own opinions, thoughts, and strong personality”.

The Punjabi in her

Ask her the first Punjabi thing she would like to do post the win, and there goes a long list. “Once I land in Punjab, I would first have mithi lassi with malai. And maybe order a big thali, which should have rajmah-chawal, makki di roti and sarson da saag. I know it feels rather exaggerated but I can have a bowl of ghee and jalebi too.”

When it comes to peaceful her favourite spots in City Beautiful or places in Punjab, Harnaaz vouches for Sukhna Lake and Sector 17 for they are good places to go for cycling or simply sitting with your favourite person and also because they are very close to nature. She adds, “As far as the most peaceful place in the world goes, it is definitely the Golden Temple for me. Punjab is full of places that give a peaceful vibe but I think Amritsar is a place that has it all, historical significance, Wagah border to celebrate our differences as well as togetherness, the Golden Temple, and even great food options. If somebody has to come with me to see Punjab, he/she has to come down to Amritsar.”