Monica Gill, a 24-year-old resident of Millbury, MA, was crowned Miss India Worldwide 2014 last week. It has been quite a journey for Gill, who models and volunteers her time for a number of organizations throughout New Englandand last November was crowned Miss India New England 2013, followed by Miss India USA 2013.
Miss India Worldwide was held on June 20, 2014 at the Al Raha Beach Resort in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates where Gill was crowned Miss India Worldwide 2014 by outgoing queen Nehal Bhogaita. The first runner-up was Cynferth Turrian of Switzerland and the second runner-up was Priya D’Silva of Bahrain.
Angie Shamdasani of Spain and Suhani Gandhi of United Kingdom were top five finalist. The other contestants to make it to the top ten were: Noopoor Akruwala of Grenada, Janine Habib of Netherlands, Anugya Sharma of India, Niharika Pathak of Oman, and Sanna Monga of UAE.
The pageant was hosted by John Matthew and Eisha Ramrakhiani of Emirates Vision Events in association with Dharmatma Saran of IFC. The pageant was also hosted in UAE in 2011. This year was very special as contestants from 40 countries participated.
The sub-contest winners were: Miss Talented — Noopoor Akruwala of Grenada, Miss Beautiful Smile — Joanna Soudine-Palton of French Guiana, Miss Catwalk — Sonia Singh of Norway, Miss Photogenic — Janine Habib of Netherlands, Miss Congeniality — Yaddisha Dulangi Peterson of Sri Lanka, Miss Beautiful Hair — Jessica Sonejee, Miss Beautiful Skin — Amreeta Goundar of New Zealand, Miss Bollywood Diva — Shima Singh Mann of Sweden, Miss Beautiful Face — Rachel Bianca Salema of Kuwait, Miss Beautiful Figure — Angie Shamdasani of Spain, Miss Viewer’s Choice — Priya D’Silva of Bahrain, City 1016 Listener’s Choice — Ritu Shah of Dominca, Miss Chairman’s Professional — Harpreet Kaur of Belgium.
When Gill was crowned Miss India USA, she told INDIA New England News in an interview that the message she would like to convey to the younger generations is simple. She said: ” The biggest message of all is that a winner is first born on the inside. A crown does not define a winner. It is only an external recognition of what is on the inside. You must first conquer your insecurities, your doubts, your fears, and any inhibitions you may have. You must then find the courage to dream and pursue those dreams with everything you have. Never give up. Keep going no matter what happens. The strength to continue and move forward will come from within you. Look for it, find it and own it.”