Miss World 2017 Manushi Chhillar also won the "Beauty with Purpose" award.
India recently got its brand new Miss World in 21-year-old Manushi Chhillar after a long wait of 17 years. A medical student, poet and Kuchipudi exponent, Manushi is the sixth Indian to win the title and the first since Priyanka Chopra who brought home the crown in 2000.
The stunner from Haryana, which once ranked the worst among all states in sex ratio in India, also won the "Beauty with Purpose" award. But her views on motherhood made her win sweeter and grander.
In the question and answer session, after reserving her place in the top five, when Manushi was asked which profession according to her deserved the highest salary and why, her touching answer started with the letter 'M'. M for mother.
"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," Manushi replied amid cheers.
Her response not only won her the Miss World 2017 title, it also earned her love, appreciation and respect from across the globe.
Talking about the role her parents, both doctors, played in shaping her, she said, "My parents have always been my pillar of support and having them by my side has only brought me more strength and joy."
A glimpse of her family acted as a prompt for her final answer. "My response also came to me by having them here with me, in front of me," she added. Her brother and sister were also present at the party of the year in the seaside resort city of Sanya in China.
Manushi's senior Priyanka Chopra was joyous about having a "successor".
Many moons ago, in the Q&A round when PeeCee was asked, "Who do you think is the most successful woman living today and why?" the 19-year-old back then had settled for Mother Teresa. Safe.
"I admire her from the bottom of my heart for being so passionate and kind - giving up her life to put smiles on people's faces,'' the Quantico actor had said.
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar also congratulated Manushi, saying, "Manushi, 'the daughter of Haryana', has made the country and the state proud." Earlier this year, Manushi had also won the crown of "Femina Miss India 2017".
Miss World done, the St Thomas School in Delhi alumnus now wants to get back to studies so that she can become a cardiac surgeon soon. She attended Bhagat Phool Singh Government Medical College for Women in Sonepat before her big plunge into an unrelated world.
Manushi has been associated with 'Project Shakti' campaign, initiated by her to make women and girls more aware about menstrual hygiene.