When it comes to titles like Miss India, Miss World and Miss Universe, the first people in India who remember are Sushmita Sen and Aishwarya Rai. Only Sushmita Sen has the honor of being the country’s first Miss Universe. But, do you know who was the first model to contest for Miss Universe? She was such a talented girl who first won the title of Miss India and then went for Miss Universe. Even though she could not win the crown, she won the world with her classical dance form and also taught that dance in many American universities.
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This girl was Indrani Rehman who had become proficient in Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, Kathakali and Odissi dance at the age of nine. She became Miss India in 1952. That too when she had become a mother. In the same year, she had also come to be a part of Miss Universe held in California. At the age of just 15, she had made headlines by running away from home and marrying a man twice her age. At the age of 22, she also participated in the Miss Universe competition. According to the Instagram handle named The Indian Observer, even a marriage and two children could not stop Indrani Rehman from fulfilling her purpose. While taking care of the family, he also took Indian classical dance far and wide.
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Indrani Rehman became the cultural ambassador of India. He performed in front of American President John F. Kennedy. Not only this, when Jawahar Lal Nehru went to Washington DC in 1961, he also performed. He also taught dances like Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi in many universities of America. In 1970, she started teaching dance at the Juilliard School in New York. He also worked at Harvard. He died in New York in 1999.
