The representative from Maharashtra, Rajnandini Pawar, emerged as the first runner up at the recently concluded KIIT Bhubaneswar presents the 61st Femina Miss India. For Rajnandini Pawar the feeling has still not sunk in that she holds the title of Femina Miss India first runner up. “It will still take time for me to realise the magnitude of what I’ve just experienced. I’ve been wanting to do this all my life and now that I am on this stage and I am a part of a legacy. So, it feels surreal,” she says.
Having been performing on stage since she was three-years-old, stage is where the 22-year-old Rajnandini feels “the most alive”. “Every experience ever since has somehow aligned with this platform. I’ve tried my best to understand what it takes to have India across my heart and I’ve put in every effort and tried not to leave any stone unturned. My goal is to be able to represent India internationally and somewhere down-the-line, I hope I get the opportunity. Right now, I’m just thinking how I can leverage this better to do the next big thing.”
Ask her which former pageant winner’s legacy inspires her and pat comes Rajnandini’s reply, “It is Sushmita Sen and Priyanka Chopra Jonas”. Elaborating on it, she says, “Just because of the kind of legacies that they’ve created over the years and the fact that they still work on what they promised till date. Especially with Priyanka, just the kind of global dominance that she is on. She is fearless in her spirit, she is limitless and she doesn’t let anything come in her way. I take so much inspiration from that and I take a lot of learnings.”
While many feel that the concept of pageantry is dwindling in today’s time, Rajnandini doesn’t feel so. She says, “Back in the day it used to be such a big thing because pageants used to be the only way of expressing yourself and having representation. Today, we have so many mediums, especially with the advent of social media. But what pageants give you is that while everyone has a voice, this platform allows you to amplify it. Nobody is ever going to question the credibility of a platform like Femina Miss India because of the legacy they have created over the years. To even step on this platform and be a small part of it is a blessing.”
With this title, she has a vision for what she wants her legacy to be: “I want to create a tangible impact beyond boundaries. My legacy is something that stems from knowing that she did everything she said she would.”
