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Who was the first Indian woman to win the Miss Universe title?
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Answer: Option C — Sushmita Sen
Detailed Solution
Sushmita Sen became the first Indian woman to win the Miss Universe title in 1994. The pageant was held in Manila, the Philippines, on 21 May 1994.
About Sushmita Sen:
- She was born on 19 November 1975 in Hyderabad, into a Bengali family.
- She won the Femina Miss India title in 1994, defeating Aishwarya Rai, who was declared Miss India World and went on to win Miss World the same year.
- She was 18 years old when she won Miss Universe.
After her win, she became a Bollywood actress, starting with "Dastak" (1996). Her other films include "Biwi No. 1", "Main Hoon Na", "Main Aisa Hi Hoon" and "Filhaal".
She returned to acting in the web series "Aarya" (2020).
She is known for adopting two daughters as a single mother.
Indian winners of Miss Universe:
- Sushmita Sen (1994), Manila.
- Lara Dutta (2000), Nicosia, Cyprus.
- Harnaaz Sandhu (2021), Eilat, Israel.
Indian winners of Miss World:
- Reita Faria (1966): first Indian and first Asian woman to win Miss World.
- Aishwarya Rai (1994).
- Diana Hayden (1997).
- Yukta Mookhey (1999).
- Priyanka Chopra (2000).
- Manushi Chhillar (2017).
- 2000 was a special year for India: Lara Dutta won Miss Universe, Priyanka Chopra won Miss World and Dia Mirza won Miss Asia Pacific.
Other pageant facts:
India hosted the Miss World pageant in Bangalore in 1996 and in Mumbai in 2024.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Lara Dutta won Miss Universe in 2000, the second Indian to do so.
- ✗Aishwarya Rai won Miss World in 1994.
- ✗Harnaaz Sandhu won Miss Universe in 2021, the third Indian to do so.
Quick tip
Remember: Miss Universe from India = Sushmita Sen (1994, first), Lara Dutta (2000), Harnaaz Sandhu (2021); first Indian Miss World = Reita Faria (1966).
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Famous Personalities & Founders — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Famous Personalities & Founders, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers famous personalities from India and the world: leaders, reformers, scientists, entrepreneurs and their nicknames, along with the founders of organisations, companies, institutions, religions and movements. Questions often use popular titles such as 'Iron Man of India' (Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel) or 'Nightingale of India' (Sarojini Naidu), or ask who founded an organisation, such as the Ramakrishna Mission (Swami Vivekananda). Grouping people by field and by title makes revision faster and helps you spot wrong options. Practise the famous personalities questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.