PAGEANT Circle

Out of 180 confidently beautiful divas, only 16 will now move on to the LIVA Miss Diva 2023 (Miss Universe India 2023) competition following a final round of auditions held on Wednesday, August 9 in the "City of Dreams" Mumbai. Among the distinguished panel of judges who picked the finalists were India's very own Mr World 2016 Rohit Khandelwal, former Mister Supranational India Altamash Faraz, reigning Miss Universe India Divita Rai, and Miss Supranational India Pragnya Ayyagari. The main winner of this year's competition, to be crowned in Mumbai on August 27, will represent incredible India at the Miss Universe 2023 pageant in El Salvador this November, while another beauty will be selected for Miss Supranational 2024. Who will become the next Miss Diva? Meet the Top 16 finalists: Aayushi Tiwari (Balaghat, Madhya Pradesh) Aishwarya Dikshit (Mumbai, Maharashtra) Apurva Chavan (Pune, Maharashtra) Archana Bhavsar (Mumbai, Maharashtra) Aruna Beniwal (Jaipur, Rajasthan) A...

Daisy Khound beat 23 other competitors to be crowned as North East Diva 2023 in a glittering competition held on Sunday, July 16 at Mayfair Hotel in Guwahati. The 22-year-old beauty from Jorhat, Assam won a direct entry to the prestigious LIVA Miss Diva 2023 (Miss Universe India 2023) pageant. Snigdha Baruah and Anushka Lekharu were named the first and second runners-up, respectively. The new North East Diva winner is a student at Jagannath Barooah College pursuing a bachelor's degree in history. She founded Maryam, a nonprofit youth organization advocating for equity and equality in society, with a spotlight on women. "As much as grateful I am for the title I have been bestowed with, I am embedded with a heavy responsibility to represent my whole northeast now in a national platform," she shared online after winning Sunday's event. "It is no more my aspiration it is the hopes and aspirations of my soil that I am gonna represent and I promise to put my best foot ...

Reigning Miss Universe Harnaaz Sandhu was designated as "Madrina" of the Latino Commission on AIDS on Tuesday, September 20 in New York City. The title, meaning godmother, was given to the 22-year-old for her dedication and commitment to the Latino Commission on Aids in response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Latino communities. "Such a beautiful day spent ... and I am truly thankful to be named the '2022 Madrina' of the Latino Commission on AIDS. I’m both honored to take on this role, as well as grateful to the Miss Universe organization for giving me this opportunity to carry on their commitment to this cause," she wrote on social media. "I’m excited to join in support of the Latino Commission on Aids and its dedication for over 30 years of working to prevent HIV and advancing access to care in the Latino and global community," she added. Harnaaz, who looked gorgeous in a red dress by New York & Company at the event, also encouraged everyone to...

The 10th Miss Diva edition has just concluded in Mumbai and finally the LIVA Miss Diva Universe 2022 (Miss Universe India) Divita Rai has been officially crowned. India's representative to the 71st Miss Universe pageant received her crown from Miss Universe 2021 Harnaaz Sandhu at the end of the highly celebrated event. The new Miss Diva, 24, is no stranger to pageantry as she was last year's second runner-up and bagged three special awards (Miss Lifestyle, Miss IQ, and Miss Sudoku). Divita will now prepare to pull off a back-to-back win at Miss Universe 2022. The date and venue for the international pageant are yet to be announced. Photos: Miss Diva

The LIVA Miss Diva 2022 grand coronation ceremony that took place on Sunday, August 28 at the Famous Studios in Mumbai unveiled three new Indian queens. Divita Rai, a 24-year-old architecture graduate from Karnataka was named Liva Miss Diva Universe 2022 and will represent India at Miss Universe 2022. She was second runner-up during last year's Miss Diva edition. Pragnya Ayyagari was announced Liva Miss Diva Supranational 2022 and will go to Miss Supranational 2023 while Ojasvi Sharma was awarded the title Liva Miss Popular Choice 2022. The glittering show was attended by last year's winner and reigning Miss Universe Harnaaz Sandhu who was awarded Pride of India by the Times of India Managing Director, Mr. Vineet Jain. "Harnaaz, words fall short every time we describe the pride and honor you've brought to our country on a global stage. May you keep shining bright and continue to do so in the future," the Miss Diva Organization shared on social media. India's s...

Miss Universe 2021 Harnaaz Sandhu is back in India for the coronation of Miss Diva 2022 which is scheduled to be held this Sunday, August 28 in Mumbai. Crowning her successor as Miss Diva Universe (Miss Universe India) on the national stage where it all began will be a full circle moment for the 22-year-old beauty queen from Chandigarh. How did they know?  —  that she was ready to take on the world. From the moment she won her national title, to winning her country's third Miss Universe title after 21 years, and becoming one of the most impactful and aspirational Miss Universe queens of all time - what an incredible journey it has been! This year's upcoming event, powered by LIVA, will also be the 10th year anniversary celebration for the national pageant. Having Harnaaz back on the stage as reigning Miss Universe makes it even more special. During the show, Miss Diva Supranational Ritika Khatnani, who placed in the Top 12 at Miss Supranational 2022, will also crown her s...

Reigning Miss Universe Harnaaz Sandhu guested in an episode of "The Daily Show with Trevor Noah" that aired on Thursday, August 18 on Comedy Central. The Indian beauty was wearing a red dress by Wight Elephant Boutique and completed the ensemble with jewelry from Designer Dream Collection (DDC) and shoes from GUESS. During the interview with the award-winning South African comedian, Harnaaz shared how her mother inspired her advocacy for menstrual equity and taught Trevor some Bollywood dance moves. The topic of bullying was also brought up and Harnaaz confessed to being disheartened by the bashings on her weight gain but she never allow them to define who she is. For the 22-year-old, being timid and weak isn't the right way to be impactful and inspirational to the youngsters who look up to her. "I want to tell them that inspiration starts within you. If you inspire yourself, that's how you can inspire a lot of people outside too," she said. Here's the f...

Reigning Miss Universe Harnaaz Sandhu has finally arrived in the Philippines for her first official visit as an invited special guest for the upcoming Miss Universe Philippines 2022 pageant. The Indian beauty flew on a private plane from Delhi, India to Manila on Sunday, April 24. She wore a colorful dress by Ranna Gill on her arrival. "Mabuhay Universe, it's day one in the Philippines and I am excited to meet the young girls," she said in an Instagram story shared on the Miss Universe official page. Harnaaz was also given the opportunity to talk about her advocacy for menstrual equity, the initiative she launched during her homecoming celebration in India last month. The 22-year-old met with youth leaders from Plan International Philippines on Monday, April 25 to share her journey towards ending period poverty and where she also learned about their experience as change-makers in society. Following her visit to the Philippines, the beauty queen is also expected to travel ...

Miss Universe 2021 Harnaaz Sandhu was awarded Global Millennial of the Year at Grazia Millennial Awards 2022 on Thursday, March 31 in Mumbai. The 22-year-old Indian beauty queen received the award looking gorgeous in a metallic one-shoulder gown by Gaurav Gupta. "I just won Grazia's award and it's out of this world. It is something that's very close to my heart and I got to speak in front of incredible artists who have been inspiring me throughout my journey," she said in an interview shortly after winning the award. "It was really nice to share the stage with them and share my words," she added. Harnaaz is currently back in India for her official homecoming celebration across her country after winning the 70th Miss Universe title last December. Photos: Keegan Crasto / Miss Universe

Miss Universe 2021 Harnaaz Sandhu of India has returned home for her official homecoming celebrations across her country. Prior to her arrival, the reigning queen shared a series of videos talking about her culture, fashion, humanitarian issues, and more, and where the Miss Universe Organization has defended her from the negative comments on social media about her weight. The Miss Universe pageant and the people behind the prestigious competition continue to stand as an inclusive organization that celebrates all women from different cultures and backgrounds. In a comment on its official page, MUO wrote: "The Miss Universe Organization does not tolerate bullying of any kind. We are a community built to champion, encourage and uplift one another. There is no room for hate here. #StopBullying" Harnaaz has been busy all week traveling to various destinations in India for her nationwide homecoming celebrations. One of the highlights of her trip was the launching of an initiative t...

Miss Universe 2021 Harnaaz Sandhu was spotted attending the special screening of the film "Cyrano" at SVA Theater on Wednesday, February 23 in New York City. The Indian beauty shared a few behind-the-scenes on social media and wrote in the caption: "Such an incredible movie! Totally loved every bit of it! Thank you so much for having me. Congratulations to the whole team of [Cyrano Movie, Peter Dinklage, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Haley Bennett]." Wearing an outfit by Ramy Brook, Harnaaz also appeared in an Instagram story posing with the USA's first-ever Miss Earth Lindsey Marie Coffey who was also present at the screening. "Cyrano" is scheduled for a wide theatrical release in the United States and the United Kingdom this Friday, February 25. The romantic musical film directed by Joe Wright was based on Erica Schmidt's stage adaptation of Edmond Rostand's play "Cyrano de Bergerac" in 1987. Game Of Thrones star Peter Dinklage plays the tit...

Reigning Miss Universe Harnaaz Sandhu was spotted taking the New York streets by storm while wearing a stylish ensemble at New York Fashion Week. The 22-year-old beauty from India donned an orange satin mini dress from the Fall 2021 collection of a New York-based Indian fashion and costume designer Bibhu Mohapatra. Harnaaz also paired the dress with an Alexandra coat in chocolat from Maison Atia AW22 collection. The coat with a sleek shape and statement shoulders is a mix of faux broadtail and faux fox using sustainably sourced materials, all hand-sewn in NYC. The ensemble styled by Emma Pritchard was accessorized with earrings by Ben-Amun and completed with sunglasses by Banbé Eyewear, and shoes by Steve Madden. In an Instagram post, the queen shared her photos with a caption: "Don’t let others tell you what you can’t do. Don't let the limitations of others limit your vision. If you can remove your self-doubt and believe in yourself, you can achieve what you never thought po...

Miss Universe shared a photo of the reigning queen Harnaaz Sandhu with the caption "Happy Republic Day" for her country's celebration of its 73rd Republic Day, the day India became a sovereign republic. In the photo, the 21-year-old beauty queen raises her country's flag while wearing an orange knit ensemble by clothing brand Andreeva. Republic Day is a national holiday in India when the country marks and celebrates the date on which the Constitution of India came into effect on 26 January 1950, replacing the Government of India Act (1935) as the governing document of India and thus, turning the nation into a newly formed republic. The day also marks the transition of India from an autonomous Commonwealth realm with British Monarch as nominal head of the Indian Dominion, to a fully sovereign republic in the Commonwealth of Nations with the President of India as the nominal head of the Indian Union. To all our Indian friends, supporters, and followers across the world,...

Fadil Berisha, an Albanian-American photographer based in New York, shared a sneak peek of his photo session with the reigning Miss Universe Harnaaz Sandhu. In a video he shared on social media, the beauty queen can be seen wearing a traditional Indian garment "sari" and the Mouawad "Power of Unity" crown. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Fadil Berisha Photography (@fadilberishaphotography)