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India.com
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- India.com
From Mustard Fields To World Stage: Meet 21-Year-Old Nandini Gupta, A Farmer's Daughter Representing India At Miss World 2025 Today
photoDetails english 2908843 As India's representative at Miss World 2025, Nandini Gupta is vying for the prestigious 72nd crown today. Here's everything you need to know about Femina Miss India World 2023, who could bring the title back to India after Manushi Chhillar. Nandini has already secured a spot in the Top 40 out of 108 contestants. Updated:May 31, 2025, 02:01 PM IST Nandini's Humble Background 1 / 8 The 21-year-old hails from Kota, Rajasthan. Her father is a farmer, her mother is a homemaker, and she has a younger sister. 'Grew Up in Mustard Fields' 2 / 8 Describing her modest upbringing, Nandini said, 'I was born in a small village. My father is a farmer, my mother is a homemaker, and I have a younger sister. We also have a little Labrador, Banjo. I grew up playing in fields of mustard, millets, and black chickpeas.' Educational Background 3 / 8 The global beauty pageant contestant completed her schooling at Saint Paul's Senior Secondary School, Mala Road. She holds a degree in Business Management from Lala Lajpat Rai College, Mumbai. 'Always Wanted to Be Miss World' 4 / 8 The Indian contestant revealed she had always dreamt of representing India and becoming Miss World. 'As a 10-year-old, I always wanted to compete in Femina Miss India because I wanted the crown for its beauty. But as I grew older, I realized it's so much more than the crown; it's a journey that only a few get to experience. A platform that gives you wings to fly high. Femina Miss India is a place that makes an ordinary girl extraordinary, while keeping her simplicity intact,' she said. Acting Debut 5 / 8 Gupta made her on-screen debut with a cameo appearance in the 2024 film The Heist, which starred Femina Miss India 2019, Suman Rao. Ratan Tata and Priyanka Chopra: Her Inspirations 6 / 8 According to the Miss India Organisation, Ratan Tata remains a major inspiration in Nandini's life, while Priyanka Chopra is one of the beauty queens who influences her. Social Work 7 / 8 Upholding the beauty pageant's motto of 'Beauty with a Purpose', Nandini launched Project Ekta to bring lasting changes to the lives of people with special abilities. The project strives to foster respect and acceptance for individuals with special needs. Where to Watch and When? 8 / 8 The Grand Finale of Miss World 2025 will be broadcast live from the HITEX Exhibition Centre in Hyderabad on May 31, 2025, at 6:30 PM IST. It will be available globally via national broadcasters in select countries and on the official Miss World pay-per-view platform, in HD.
The Hindu
6 days ago
- General
- The Hindu
Aspirational Nuh, abandoned education
Every day, Jitender Kumar, in his early 30s, travels from Bahadurgarh city to Otha village in Nuh district, Haryana, 131 kilometres away. Kumar is a Hindi teacher at the Senior Secondary School in Otha, and takes a bus and an auto to reach the children he guides. It's a hot, humid day in May, just before the school breaks for summer vacation. Kumar rests his head on a plastic chair, under a fan placed inside a 10x12-foot classroom. The electricity may go off any time, and then the class will sometimes move to the shade of a tree. The walls are blue, chipped; the grey cement floor is cracked, and students sit on a torn, dusty cotton mat, their bags beside them on the ground. The fan doesn't reach the corners of the room. As the bell rings for lunch, the children squat in rows. Each is given a thali: watery dal and some rice. There is very little space to move around, but the children behave as they would in any other school: playfully collapsing on to each other, some smiling, some bored. Kumar tries to cool off after having spent a day juggling subjects he barely knows. A postgraduate teacher (PGT), qualified to teach Hindi in the senior school, he also muddles through the English texts with students of Class 12. There has been no English teacher here since December 2022. This year, Kumar taught 13 children; all failed in the Haryana School Education Board (HSEB) examinations. In 2025, Nuh performed the worst in the results across Haryana districts. Class 10 recorded a pass percentage of 73.90 (up to 13,862 students appeared; 10,244 passed), as per Haryana's Education Department. Class 12 registered a pass percentage of 45.76 (only 7,588 students appeared; 3,472 students passed). The top results were from Rewari at 96.85% in Class 10, and Jind at 91.05% for Class 12. Principals, teachers, and the administration are in agreement that the results were poor this time because the government has begun cracking down on cheating over the past couple of years. In the 2025 board examination, 599 UMCs (unfair means cases) were registered with the administration, compared to 918 in 2024, 1,813 in 2023, and 3,570 in 2022. 'The board displayed unprecedented strictness to curb the menace of cheating during the exams. Disciplinary action was initiated against 135 people, including 109 invigilators and 20 centre superintendents, for dereliction of duty. As many as 16 FIRs (first information reports) were lodged against 74 people across the State,' HSEB Secretary Munish Nagpal says. As per the district administration, Nuh has 142 senior secondary schools. Only 20 recorded a pass percentage of over 80, while 37 schools registered below 33%. In two schools, no child passed. Nuh's under-development Nuh shares a border with Gurugram, monikered Millennium City, with high-rise corporate offices and condominium complexes that come with swimming pools and lawns. Nuh, with approximately 88% of its population residing in rural areas, is located in the Aravali hills. Roads have not reached here, water is scarce, and there is no university. The literacy rate in Nuh is 56%, out of which 73% are men and only 27% women. According to 2011 Census, the literacy rate in Haryana is 75.55%. The district was once part of Mewat, but was carved out 20 years ago. Rajasthan, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh intersect at Mewat, a belt of villages known to be a hotspot for cybercrime. There are over 10.8 lakh people in Nuh, predominantly the Meos, who are Muslim farmers, as per the district administration. In 2018, the government think tank, NITI Aayog, pegged Nuh as India's most backward district. That year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the Aspirational Districts Programme that aims to transform 112 of India's most under-developed districts. The region's infrastructure is so poor teachers from other districts don't want to live and work here. In 2017, a Mewat cadre of teachers was started to tackle this. However, teachers from other parts of Haryana continued to be posted in Nuh. They go to court, citing the creation of the Mewat cadre for the area, to avoid coming here. Nuh's District Education Officer Ajit Sheoran says that with a new batch of the cadre joining from the next academic year, most Junior Basic Training (primary school) positions will be filled. No school for daughters Inside Sonkh Village in Nuh, 60-year-old Jarsheed lies down on his charpoy. His son sits next to him, while his daughters go about their day: one cleans the cows, another cooks. Jarsheed works as a labourer, but is finding it hard to work, given there are many younger men to do the same job. His wife, Hasan Bashri, 60, says the couple has eight daughters and a son. Haryana has a sex ratio of 879, one of the lowest in the country, as per the last 2011 Census. Muskan, 19, is one of Bashri and Jarsheed's daughters. Two years ago, she scored 450/500, with a 95% in Hindi in the Class 12 board exams. 'I wanted to study further, but my father didn't allow it. All my friends go to college; all my sisters studied only up to Class 8,' says Muskan, looking down when she talks, almost in a whisper. 'I wanted to become a Hindi teacher, but my father never allowed it,' she adds, her face turning red. Jarsheed, in his Mewati dialect, says, 'Why should daughters study? They will get married, leave, and their husbands won't allow them to work. So what's the point?' While Jarsheed talks, his daughters neither interrupt nor argue. Bashri, who has never seen a classroom in her life, says, 'My husband's thinking is problematic. Had we educated Muskan, she would have become an earning member and would have been able to help our family.' Muskan shows off her laminated degree, then puts it back in her school bag she still treasures. Low attendance in school A few kilometres away from Sonkh village is the Government Model Sanskriti Senior Secondary School, the facade painted in the colours of the national flag. The school has adequate infrastructure to cater to students across age groups: a computer science laboratory, libraries, and a sports field. Yet, low attendance is a concern for the school. Manjeet Singh, who has been teaching here for six years now, explains that the recurrent problem in Nuh is either truancy (missing school) or absconding (have not attended for long durations). 'Students get their names registered and then go missing, or some come to school and leave midway. This is a problem teachers face across Nuh,' Singh explains. The school principal, Mukesh Kumar, has spent 29 years in the Mewat region teaching children. He says, 'Most families send their children to school up to Class 12, so they can acquire a driving licence. Families aren't comfortable with the idea of letting their daughters leave home to study.' He says children are trained to repair bikes or weld iron, so they are employable. 'Not many come from families where education is discussed,' Kumar explains. While the pass percentage in his school among Class 12 students was 59, for Class 10 students this was 47%. Kumar says, 'The pass percentage went down because the Haryana government cracked down on the cheating menace.' Question papers are leaked at exam centres, or people scale walls to help with answers, or imposters appear for the examination, as per newspaper reports. Exams were cancelled at 10 centres this time, compared to 29 centres in the previous year. In 2023, the exams were cancelled at 40 centres, and a year earlier at 64 centres. On February 27, the Class 12 English paper was leaked in Nuh and Palwal, minutes after the exam began. Outsiders reportedly took photos through windows and shared them online. At least four invigilators were dismissed. The next day, the Class 10 Maths paper was leaked in Jhajjar and Nuh. While FIRs were filed, 25 police personnel, including four Deputy Superintendents of Police and three station house officers were suspended, and the HSEB Secretary replaced. Bhiwani, Jind, Jhajjar, Sonipat, and Nuh report cheating cases more frequently than other districts, say the police. Nagpal says at least 226 flying squads were formed, and disciplinary action taken against 599 staff members. 'The idea was to curb cheating. In 2022, at least 64 cases were registered. The next year 40 FIRs were registered, and in 2024, there were 29. This year at least 10 have been registered,' Nagpal says, adding that police were stationed on the rooftops of exam centres and houses nearby to get a bird's-eye view. It's often the crowd outside that aids cheating, he adds. A systemic challenge Deputy Commissioner of Nuh Vishram Kumar Meena acknowledges the multiple challenges the district administration has. He says they will now work on ways to improve the system. 'Cheating has become a 'cultural phenomenon' or a 'trend'. Almost everyone has become accustomed to the idea. The issue is so deep-rooted that when the Haryana government began to 'dismantle' the 'system', students dropped out of government schools,' he says. Then they would take admission in Open Learning centres (flexible attendance), where they bribed government officials, Meena adds. In 2023-2024, at least 4,446 students from Classes 1-8 dropped out of school, as per data from the Education Department. Meena also shares an instance where one of the Open Learning centres in Nuh conducted an examination and found at least 34 imposters appearing on behalf of other people. 'Now that we are curbing the cheating menace, it's important to instil the idea of consequences in the minds of people, so they don't repeat this behaviour.' Meena talks about education as a part of a larger social structure. There aren't that many job opportunities in Nuh, and larger families feel forced to pick the boy child who performs well in school to continue education. So, the other children drop out. If they are boys, they begin working; if they are girls, they are married off. He emphasises that rather than blaming the people or the administration, 'there are systemic challenges that we need to tackle'. A school for her Meena says the district has a 22-25% shortage of teachers at both the primary and secondary levels. Teachers in Nuh also explain how the sarpanches, or village heads, haven't promoted the culture of education in their villages. Meena says, 'Out of 325 sarpanches, we have terminated 12 and are conducting inquiries on 50 others for forged and questionable degrees.' In 2022, the Mewat Development Agency that looks after socio-economic growth, started working with nonprofits and began recruiting Shiksha Sahayaks or Teaching Assistants. Newly graduated teachers are paid a monthly salary of ₹17,000. In Nalhar, Sakina, 40, squats on a cement floor to wash clothes. She uses stones to beat the grime out, under a hand pump. It is sunny, and she is sweating. Sakina dismisses a question around what she dreams of for her three daughters and a son, and goes back to washing her clothes. Two minutes later, in the Mewati dialect, characterised by the harsh sounds of the surrounding landscape, she says, 'Who is bothered by what their children will do? Daughters will graze the cows and sons will become drivers. In our culture, women don't study. What is the need to?' For a fleeting second, her daughters pause their work. Edited by Sunalini Mathew
Hindustan Times
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
India's Nandini Gupta stuns at Miss World 2025 opening ceremony in traditional masterpiece that took 3 years to create
The 72nd Miss World pageant kicked off with a spectacular inauguration ceremony at Hyderabad's Gachibowli Stadium on May 13. Representing India, Femina Miss India World 2023 Nandini Gupta stole the spotlight at the opening ceremony as she radiated grace and elegance in traditional Indian attire. (Also read: Miss World 2025 contestants visit Buddhavanam on Buddha Purnima ) Nandini dazzled at the ceremony in an elegant ensemble by award-winning designer Gaurang Shah. Her outfit beautifully blended Jamdani weaves from Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra, paying homage to India's rich cultural heritage. The handwoven fabric showcased two distinct textile traditions: the intricate Jamdani technique and the symbolic Bangdi Mor motif. This thoughtful combination celebrated Indian craftsmanship, artistry, and tradition, making Nandini's look a tribute to the nation's cultural pride. A post shared by Femina Miss India (@missindiaorg) Speaking to The New Indian Express, in a May 13 interview, Gaurang shared, "The base fabric is handwoven using charkha-spun khadi yarn, intricately interlaced with gold zari Jamdani in a leharia (wave) pattern. The highlight of the outfit is the exquisitely detailed border and palla, featuring the traditional Bangdi Mor motif, four peacocks dancing inside a bangle. Set against an ivory backdrop, the gold zari offers a quiet shimmer, radiating elegance and regality." Gaurang further shared that the intricate textile took nearly three years to weave. "The weaving of this intricate textile alone took nearly three years," he says. When Nandini's team approached him for Miss World, he instantly envisioned this creation on her. It beautifully encapsulated timeless Indian craftsmanship, making it the perfect choice for a global stage. A team of eight master artisans from Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra collaborated to bring this masterpiece to life. Nandini Gupta, born in September 2003 in Kota, Rajasthan, completed her schooling at St. Paul's Senior Secondary School and pursued a degree in Business Management from Lala Lajpat Rai College, Mumbai. She won the Femina Miss India 2023 title and is now one of 110 contestants vying for the Miss World 2025 crown.
Indian Express
11-05-2025
- General
- Indian Express
'Vyom ko chune ke liye bani ho': How teachers and classmates remember Vyomika Singh, face of India's ‘Operation Sindoor'
Years ago, on her last day of school, a young Vyomika Singh queued outside the staffroom of St. Anthony's Senior Secondary School in Delhi, clutching her autograph book. It was a parting ritual — one last message from teachers who had seen her grow. When it was her turn, Hindi teacher Neelam Wasan wrote a line that she thought captured Vyomika's spirit: 'Vyom ko chune ke liye bani ho.' (You were born to touch the skies) Wasan never imagined how literally that would come true. This week, Wing Commander Vyomika Singh of the Indian Air Force stood before the nation as one of two women chosen by the Indian government to narrate Operation Sindoor — India's response to the Pahalgam massacre in which terrorists killed atleast 26 civilians. Hours after nine terror hubs in Pakistan were destroyed in targeted strikes, the government sent a second message by presenting Colonel Sofiya Qureshi of the Army and Wing Commander Singh as the faces of that resolve. Singh, who graduated from St. Anthony's in 1998 and later studied environmental engineering at Delhi College of Engineering, had always shown signs of quiet purpose. 'Vyomika was always equally good in English and Hindi. She was very talented and very humble to talk to,' said Jyoti Bisht, 70, who taught her English in Class 11 and 12. 'Even in school — not only in studies, but she was very good at playing basketball. Recently, we met at the school reunion, and she was still the same humble girl. But when we saw her on TV this week, she was strong, doing her job for the nation.' 'She used to take part in a lot of debates. Even though she was excellent in English, she would participate and do extremely well in Hindi debates too. She speaks so well,' Bisht added. 'Our Vyomika, who is Wing Commander Vyomika Singh now, has really made the school proud,' said Manju Sahni, 67, her class teacher and social science teacher in Class 8. 'I had a double responsibility — to instill values in children. When I see Vyomika's discipline and kindness today, I really cherish those memories. She was always attentive and grounded.' Her childhood friend Shalini Raman Parakkat, 45, now an artist in Bangalore, recalled how early the signs appeared. 'She used to say that vyom means wind and that she was meant to be in the skies. So we all thought she would be a pilot or an aeronautical engineer,' Parakkat said. 'I've seen Vyomika from Class 7. We were among the few tall girls, and she was very noticeable. She once lifted the petite characters of our classroom just for the fun of it — we took pictures,' she laughed. 'She was always a physically strong person.' Today, Singh is not only a Wing Commander but also a mother to a teenage daughter. 'She was travelling to the tuition centre once and was disturbed by a guy in the bus behind her in Delhi,' Parakkat recalled. 'She was about to get down from the bus, but she turned and yelled back at him. That courage at such a young age was inspiring. She came to tuition a little shaken, but not afraid.' Parakkat added, 'Until 2013, we didn't know where our classmates were. A little later I connected with her on our school WhatsApp group, and everyone knew she was now in the Air Force. All of us were in awe — someone had actually taken the risks. There weren't many women in the Air Force back then, but she said otherwise and did it. It must've taken a lot of courage to convince her family. She was the first among us to join the defence forces.' 'Even when we connected later on a video call, Vyomika was still the same person we had known in school.' Singh spent her entire school life at St. Anthony's. Her mother worked with the National Council of Educational Training and Vyomika was one amongst the three sisters her childhood friends recalled. 'Vyomika and I used to go to school in the same bus,' said Suruchi Jain, 45, another childhood friend. 'I'd get in at the Vasant Kunj stop and Vyomika at the NCERT IIT stop. We always stood at the back, chatting about anything under the sun. Never in the front. Always standing, always talking.' 'I always had fond memories of her from Class 8 — we shared the same bench. Today, people may assume she was a nerd or uptight because she's in the forces. But she was fun-loving and balanced — an all-rounder in everything: stage, sports, studies. And above all, a good friend,' Jain said. 'For that age and time, she was focused. We weren't. But she was.' 'One of the teachers once asked her name and said, 'Vyomika means someone who rules the skies.' And it really turned out to be true,' Jain added. 'In Class 11 or 12, she made a physics project on flying kites — and now she flies without anyone holding her hand. She's ruling the skies.' Wasan, her Hindi teacher, still remembers the day Vyomika came for that autograph. 'When I wrote 'Vyom ko chune ke liye bani ho' in her book, I didn't know she would actually do it. At our alumni meet in December, she reminded me of that. She also recalled how, during a parent-teacher meeting, her mother was concerned that she was getting distracted with extracurriculars. I had reassured her parents that these were important too. Vyomika said that day I saved her from getting scolded at home.' The sky, once imagined, is now hers.
Mint
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Mint
Who is Nandini Gupta? Meet Miss World 2025 contestant representing India on home soil
Nandini Gupta is 21-year-old Miss World 2025 contestant representing India on home soil. Born on September 2003, she was crowned Femina Miss India World title in 2023 and is now representing her country in the 72nd edition of the beauty pageant on the international stage. Hailing from a humble farming background, she was born and brought up in Rajasthan's Kota. "I was born in a small village. My father is a farmer, my mother is a homemaker, and I have a younger sister. We also have a little Labrador, Banjo. I grew up playing in the fields of mustard, millets, and black chickpeas," Nandini Gupta said in an interview with shethepeople. She spent 14 years of her life playing and growing up in Saint Paul's Senior Secondary School, Mala Road. She obtained degree in business management from Lala Lajpat Rai College in Mumbai. Preparations are in full swing for the May 10 grand opening ceremony of Miss World 2025 in Telangana's capital Hyderabad. Notably, Miss World event is taking place in India for the second consecutive year. In a press conference on May 6 held at Trident Hyderabad, Nandini Gupta said, 'It fills me with pride to represent India on home soil. Telangana's charm, warmth, and diversity will certainly be a memorable backdrop for this transformative journey. I'm excited to welcome the world here." Asserting that one should be determined to achieve their goals, she said, 'It does not matter where you are from, but where you want to go'. Aligning with the beauty pageant's motto - 'Beauty with a purpose' - Nandini Gupta launched the project 'Project Ekta,' aimed at bringing lasting and meaningful change in the lives of individuals from the differently-abled community. This initiative of the inspiring role model strives to foster a culture of acceptance and mutual respect for individuals with special needs.
