Femina Miss India pageant enters 50th year

Mumbai: The Femina Miss India beauty pageant Tuesday kickstarted the celebrations of its 50 years. The first Miss India Meher Castellino, was joined by other former Miss India beauties at a function here, said that even though 50 years had passed, she felt like it was just yesterday when she won the crown. "It feels like just yesterday, I won the contest. But I have been watching all the contests and every time I try and guess who the winner will be and 80 percent of the time I get them right," she told reporter at an event celebrating the 50 years of Femina Miss India here Tuesday evening. Current Miss India World Vanya Mishra said: "It was my childhood dream to wear the Miss India crown, I always wanted to be a Miss India. This is like a dream come true. Very few women have actually got an opportunity to wear this crown." Singer Shibani Kashyap sang a song which celebrated the true essence of being a woman. Rochelle Maria Rao, who is Miss India International 2012, said that being a part of the Miss India family is like being a part of a sisterhood. "It is like being part of a sisterhood which has lasted 50 years. We have shown the world that Indian women can make changes wherever they go," she said. IANS