Gill is taking acting classes in Mumbai.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: America’s very own Monica Gill emerged as the winner of the Miss India Worldwide 2014 pageant on Friday night.
The pageant was held at the Al Raha Beach Resort in Abu Dhabi. As the winner, Gill will receive an $8,000 cash prize, in addition to various sponsorships, modeling opportunities, and the chance to make some important contacts in the entertainment and fashion spheres.
In addition to Gill, the pageant crowned Miss India Switzerland Cynferth Turrian as the second-place winner, while Miss India Bahrain Priya D’Silva won third place. Judges at this year’s lavish affair included cricketer Harbhajan Singh, fashion designer Rohit Verma, International Finance Corporation Chairman Dharmatma Singh, and Bollywood actress Richa Chaddha (Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ram-Leela).
Gill, a graduate student from Boston, was crowned the champion, beating out 39 other girls, all of whom are of Indian origin. Each girl represents her country of residence, including one girl who is actually from India – this year, it was Anugya Sharma, a girl from Surat in Gujarat.
By winning the Miss India Worldwide pageant, Gill brings the crown back to the US for the first time since 2009, when Indian American Nikkitasha Marwaha won the title. Since then, the winners have come from South Africa, Australia, the UK, and even Guyana.
Gill has spent her time in the US studying everything from biology to women’s studies, according to The National, and was planning to enter the professional world as a social worker. She turned her back on all that to enter pageantry, something that she felt is her calling – now, as the reigning Miss India Worldwide, she has more than enough validation that her decision to chase her dreams was worth it. She is at present residing in Mumbai, taking acting classes, with an eye on a career in the Bollywood film industry.
Contestants of the Miss India Worldwide pageant must all be between 17 and 27 years of age, never married, and citizens of their country of representation. Contestants must make it through four categories – Evening Gown, Indian Dress, Talent and Question-Answer – in order to win the title of Miss India Worldwide.