Face of Nation : In a star-studded ceremony in Mumbai, Rajasthan’s Suman Rao was crowned fbb Colors Femina Miss India World 2019.
Suman Rao wants to try her hand at acting. Currently, she is investing her time in modelling, training for the international beauty pageant and college studies.
She will represent India at the Miss World 2019. Suman believes in lending her voice to gender equality and says that more than the ultimate result, having the desire to win is very important to grow in life. She took some time to believe that she had achieved one of her dreams by winning the crown.
“The fact that I am Miss India is sinking in… I am doing fine now. Of course, it is a dream, right? For me, before the competition started, winning was important and that is why I was working towards it. I am always focused and sincere. But now I know that more than the result, the desire of winning is important because that drives me to stay focussed,” says Suman.
20-year-old, Suman Rao who hails from Rajasthan is aiming to strike a larger conversation on gender equality among her community as well as globally. “I want to be the voice of gender equality. I come from a community where girls go through quite a lot due to inequality, and that also regarding some of the very basic choices. I want to create awareness among them because freedom is about equal opportunity.”
Given an opportunity, Suman wants to try her hand at acting, where she also mentioned that, if she ever got a chance to act she would like to portray Aishwarya Rai in a biopic.
“I am very fortunate to be born in a family where my parents let me do everything that I want, but not all girls are as lucky as I am. The point is that when it comes to our right, we should be aware of it, and stand for ourselves first.”
In a star-studded ceremony in Mumbai, Rajasthan’s Suman Rao was crowned fbb Colors Femina Miss India World 2019. Suman was born in a village named Aidena, near Udaipur. When she was barely a year old, Suman and her family shifted to Mumbai.
She told us, “My maternal grandparents still live there and so do many of my distant relatives. Even though I shifted to Mumbai, I have not forgotten my roots. Every summer, I visit my grandparents in Aidena. I also come here to attend family functions.” Talking about her grand win and the celebration back in Rajasthan, she said, “The entire village is ecstatic about my win and celebrating it.
I plan to visit Udaipur for my homecoming now. Suman, who is currently pursuing a Chartered Accountancy course and B.Com from University of Mumbai and also learning Kathak, said that she had auditioned for Miss India from Jaipur. Her father, Ratan Singh Rao, is a jeweller, while mother Sushila Kunwar Rao is a homemaker. She has two brothers, Jitendra and Chirag. Her entire family is overwhelmed with joy at her win.
Jitendra says, “We are all extremely happy for her. We were always confident that she would win the title. We are now looking forward to Miss World and hope that she wins there too.” During the pageant, Suman said that “I come from a community where gender inequality and other stereotypes are still into existence, so when I saw two primary choices in front of me, to either accept the conditions those were in existence or to take the responsibility for changing the same, I chose the latter one.”
“Instead of pushing or forcefully making her do something, I have always supported and nurtured her passion and allowed her to follow what excites her the most. We are extremely happy for her and proud of her achievements. Suman was inclined towards modeling since her college days and as father, I have always motivated her. She is also learning Kathak. I just wish the best for all my children,” says Ratan Singh Rao, Suman’s father.
‘It’s a matter of great pride and honor to be able to wear the crown of fbb Colors Femina Miss World. The feeling is inexplicable. I hope I make every Indian proud and will give my best to keep the crown as high as every Miss India took it,’ Suman wrote on her Instagram handle.
