Happy birthday Aishwarya Rai: This profound answer won her the Miss World crown

Aishwarya Rai turns 51 on November 1. After two decades of being crowned Miss World, she still steals the spotlight – be it with her red carpet looks or her appearances at awards shows and other events. 20 years ago, at the age of 21, Aishwarya was crowned Miss World 1994 after beating 86 contestants from around the world. Do you the answer that helped her win the title at the coveted beauty pageant? Also read | Watch Aishwarya Rai’s magical Miss World journey, crowning moment
At the Miss World 1994 pageant in Sun City, South Africa, Basetsana Makgalemele from South Africa became the first runner-up, and Irene Ferreira from Venezuela ended up as the second runner-up, while Aishwarya wore the winner’s crown. On her 51st birthday, let’s take a trip down memory lane and revisit Aishwarya’s winning moment from Miss World 1994.
Aishwarya impressed people from around the world with her beauty and elegance at the Miss World 1994 pageant. Her final answer won her the title that year. The judges asked her, “What are the qualities Miss World should embody?”
Aishwarya answered, “The Miss Worlds that we have had up to date, have been proof enough that they have had compassion. Compassion for the underprivileged and not only for the people who have status and stature. We have had people, who can look beyond the barriers that man has set up – of nationalities and colour. We have to look beyond those and that would make a true Miss World. A true person, a real person.”
Watch Aishwarya Rai’s Miss World crowning moment:
During the 1994 competition, Aishwarya Rai had talked about her Indian roots in the introduction video and highlighted the different cultures and races that co-exist in the country, “We’ve got the world in India. It’s more cosmopolitan because [there are] so many religions in India, so many races. It is an amalgamation of so many cultures and people have learnt to live together in that,” she said.
She added, “This experience (Miss World 1994) has been incredible. I know that I am going to look back and think that it is so strange that so many of us are from different countries, we have never met each other, and we are here and we have spent a month together. We have really made such good friends. But then again, I don’t know when we are going to meet each other in life again.”