Who was the first woman to participate and represent India in the Miss Universe pageant, in 1952?

Explanation

Indrani Rahman (1930-1999) won the first Miss India contest in 1952 and went on to represent India at the Miss Universe pageant in the same year, becoming the first woman to represent India there. She is best remembered, however, as a famous classical dancer.

Indrani Rahman was born in Chennai. Her father, Ramalal Balram Bajpai, was an Indian chemist, and her mother, Ragini Devi (born Esther Luella Sherman in the United States), was one of the pioneering performers of Indian classical dance in the early 20th century. Indrani began dancing as a child, performing with her mother's troupe. She learnt Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, Kathakali and Mohiniyattam from great gurus, and she was one of the first dancers to learn and perform Odissi outside Odisha, after training under Guru Deba Prasad Das in the 1950s. She helped bring Odissi to national and international audiences. She performed for many world leaders, including at the White House in the United States, and toured the world extensively. She later moved to New York, where she taught dance. She married the architect Habib Rahman. Her son, Ram Rahman, is a well-known photographer. She received the Padma Shri (1969) and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Reita Faria became the first Indian to win the Miss World title, in 1966.
• ✗Persis Khambatta won Miss India in 1965 and later became a Hollywood actress, known for "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" (1979).
• ✗Sushmita Sen became the first Indian to win the Miss Universe title, in 1994.