Sushmita Sen's latest post on Instagram today marks the 31st anniversary of her making history by winning India's first-ever Miss Universe in 1994. To commemorate the moment, the actress shared a series of pictures, which included glimpses from her Miss Universe journey.
She captioned the post, "A historical win that introduced an 18yr old indian girl to the Universe! Opening up a world of possibilities, highlighting the strength of hope, the power of inclusion, and the generosity of love. To travel the world & to have the privilege of meeting some of the most inspiring people… life-defining for sure! Thank you God, Maa @subhra51 & Baba @sensubir. Happy 31st Anniversary of India's first ever victory at Miss Universe!!! To have the honour of representing my country, I will proudly cherish forever! Happy 31st also to my loved ones in the Philippines & to you, my darling @carogomezfilm."
Sushmita Sen's Winning Question At Miss Universe 1994
Held in Manila in the Philippines, the 1994 Miss Universe pageant featured contestants from across the world, but Sushmita Sen's grace, intelligence, and confidence made her win the title at just 18.
Her final winning moment came down to an important question-and-answer round segment that has often determined the fate of the crown.
The question after which she took home the crown was, "What, for you, is the essence of being a woman?"
Sen answered it with poise, "I think being a woman is a gift of God which all of us must appreciate. The origin of a child is a mother, and is a woman. And a woman is one who shares love and who shares and shows a man what love, caring, and sharing are all about. That is the essence of a woman."
In 2022, the actress was asked the same question by her daughter, Alisah's school magazine.
She said, “You know what I loved about that question and that answer as I've looked back at it for so many years is that they never asked what are the qualities of a woman or the attributes of a woman. They said, what is the essence of a woman?”
Sen also mentioned that she was from a "Hindi medium school so I didn't know that much English back in the day. I don't know how I understood what essence meant and answered that question with such clarity and such experience, even though I lacked it 18, I think God sat on my tongue and said, let this be said because this is how you will choose to live your life."
After her reign as Miss Universe, Sen carved a niche for herself in Indian cinema, and the rest is history!
Sen's win 31 years ago is unforgettable and has paved the way for many Indian women to follow suit, Yukta Mookhey, Lara Dutta, and most recently, Harnaaz Sandhu.