PH
India’s Manushi Chillar has won the coveted Miss World 2017 pageant, 16 years after Priyanka Chopra won the title in 2000.
Manushi Chhillar, a medical student, was crowned Miss World at a glitzy event in a Chinese resort on Saturday, making India country the joint-most successful in the beauty pageant’s history.
Chhillar is the sixth Indian winner of the long-running contest, following in the footsteps of Bollywood actresses Priyanka Chopra and Aishwarya Rai. Aishwarya had bagged the title in 1994, followed by Diana Haydon in 1997, Yukta Mookhey in 1999 and Priyanka in 2000, the last for India.
Chillar’s win brings India level with Venezuela as the countries with most victories in the history of the pageant, now in its 67th edition.
Chhillar, 20, is a trained Indian classical dancer who also enjoys painting and hopes to open a chain of non-profit hospitals in rural areas, according to the Miss World website.
“Thank you, everyone, for your constant love, support,” and prayers she wrote on Twitter. “This one’s for India.”
Saturday marked the Miss World pageant’s return to Sanya, on southern China’s Hainan Island, for a seventh time, where the event was last held in 2015.
Chhillar’s victory rapidly became a top trending topic on the social media platform in India after the announcement, with Manohar Lal Khattar — chief minister of her home state Haryana — among the first to offer congratulations.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated her for the Miss World 2017 crown.
Congratulations @ManushiChhillar! India is proud of your accomplishment.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 18, 2017
Chhillar was handed the crown by last year’s winner, Stephanie del Valle of Puerto Rico, at the ceremony in the Chinese coastal city of Sanya on Saturday night.
Stephanie Hill of England and Andrea Meza of Mexico finished as runners-up.
In the top five round, Chhillar was asked which profession according to her deserved the highest salary.
“I think a mother deserves the highest respect and when you talk about salary it’s not always about cash but I feel it’s the love and respect that you give to someone. My mother has always been the biggest inspiration in my life.
“All mothers sacrifice so much for their kids. So, I think it is the job of a mother that deserves the highest salary,” Chhillar said to a wide applause.
