‘Want to make my country proud’: Nikita Porwal talks about representing India at Miss World pageant

UJJAIN: Nikita Porwal from Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, who was crowned Femina Miss India World 2024, talked about her achievement and why she thought of participating in the pageant.

She reached Ujjain on Sunday and received a warm welcome from the people. “My stage performance started with the role of Sita. I have been playing the role of Maa Sita for five years. From there, I felt that I had become a voice of women’s strength, a voice of India, and that is why I decided to go on the platform of Miss World to make my country proud”, she told the media.

She added that despite coming from a place like Ujjain, her parents are very open-minded and supportive, “Despite being from a very simple, dharmic city like Ujjain, my parents have always been very open-minded. They never stopped me from pursuing my dreams. I was raised with such beliefs. I got a lot of support from my friends and people of Ujjain”.

When she reached her home, her mother and grandmother performed a traditional aarti. A large crowd gathered to meet her and a red carpet was laid at the colony entrance, along with more fireworks and a shower of flowers.

“My whole family, and all my friends and all the people who have supported me in the last two days, I would like to say the same to all of you that this crown should be given to all of you just like it was given to me. I would like to give a message to the women that we just need to recognize that Shakti(power) is within us…”

“I feel that whenever we think big for ourselves and our country, we have to face a lot of struggles and conflicts”, she added. Expressing her love for Bollywood, she said, “I am ready for Bollywood. I haven’t got any official offer yet…I like Ranveer Singh ji a lot. I am a big fan of Amitabh Bachchan ji…”

Earlier, she reached Shree Mahakaleshwar temple to seek the blessings of Lord Mahakaal. She said, “I’ve conveyed my thanks to Baba for his gifts and everything I’ve accomplished in life. Our Indian culture is rich, and I hope to take it global through this platform and hope to bring pride to our country by winning the title..”

She waved to the people on the roadshow and visited the ISKCON temple. Nikita, who began her career as a TV anchor before moving into acting and theatre, made her home state proud by winning this prestigious title.

Earlier, Nikita shared how much this achievement meant to her and how it was not only her dream but also the result of her and her parents’ hard work. She added that despite coming from a place like Ujjain, where no one had ventured into the Miss India journey before, determination and faith led her to success.

“This is not just my dream but also good luck…my parents’ hard work and my hard work are behind this…I’m from Ujjain and no one from there has ever done Miss India, there was no one to guide me but once we decide something, god will automatically make way for you…,” she said.

Nikita was crowned by last year’s winner, Nandini Gupta. The sash was placed on her by former Miss India and Bollywood actress Neha Dhupia. Along with Nikita, Rekha Panday from the Union Territories was declared the first runner-up, and Ayushi Dholakia from Gujarat secured the second runner-up position.

As Femina Miss India World 2024, Nikita will now represent India at the global Miss World pageant, joining the ranks of legendary winners like Aishwarya Rai and Priyanka Chopra. (ANI)