BENGALURU: It was a proud moment for the country when city-based Sandhya Jain was crowned Mrs Asia Universe 2022. Sandhya represented India at the Woman of the Universe – Mrs Universe banner pageant held at Sofia in Bulgaria between October 10 and 15. Jain, who originally hails from Bengaluru, represented India and cleared several rounds to finally claim the crown.
Though the title of Mrs Universe was won by Mrs Peru, the other two bigger sub-titles were Mrs Asia Universe and Mrs Europe Universe, and Sandhya claimed the former. Recalling the winning moment, she says the moment was surreal. “Representing India and winning the crown for it feels like a dream come true,” says Sandhya.
“It was an incredible experience, especially with beautifully talented ladies from across the world representing their countries and culture. Everyone brought their culture on the stage and interacting with each other turned out not just interesting but also knowledgeable,” Sandhya added. The win didn’t come to the entrepreneur easily. She had to compete with over 50 beauty pageant winners across the world in several rounds to claim the crown. Some of the rounds included the discussion on non-violence and the national costume round, among others.
“In one of the rounds, the topic of discussion was non-violence and who better than us to discuss the topic? India as a country has been a flagbearer of non-violence,” says Sandhya, adding that while she went for the pageant hoping for the best, she tried to learn from the experience than let it weigh on her. Sandhya made all heads turn during the national costume round, where she represented India’s national bird by donning a multi-coloured saree along with a wing made of peacock feathers.
“It also felt great when we sat down to discuss our culture and other pageant winners were so appreciative of our country. It felt good because you are the face of the country at that particular point in time,” says Sandhya. Now back home in the city, Jain says she is going to reminisce all the memories. However, she is ‘extremely happy’ to be back home. “The love and reception that I have received have been incredible,” says an excited Sandhya.