A Higher Beauty- Femina

Hers is the victory that comes after the calm. Not for her the angst of uncertainty nor the uncertainty of angst. When she replied 'Alive And Kicking' to Kareena Kapoor's question on what she would put on a tee to describe herself, she was espousing her life mantra of optimism and confidence rather than just an answer that most certainly propelled her into the elite final five.
And yet what Amrita Thapar, now known countrywide as Pond's Femina Miss India-Universe 2005, recollects most of those crucial moments was that she was calm and collected. "Just before I went on stage, I did the deep breathing my mum has taught me to align my thoughts," recalls the 23-year-old designer from the School of Fashion Technology, Pune, who approached the idea of competing in the Pond's Femina Miss India Contest 2005 with the same focus as she had plotted the rest of her life.
"I have a plan chalked out for myself - I've already covered academics, modelling, designing...The Contest was something I knew I had to do. When I was quite young, I remember watching Sushmita and Aishwarya winning, then watching other pageants over the years, and realising that I had the prerequsites; and that I needed the finesse that the training would give us..."
And so Amrita embraced the gruelling preparatory schedule with enthusiasm. "I found the training really useful. We used to work out in the mornings on the lawns with Mickey Mehta, free hand exercises, callisthenics, we were connecting with Nature at dawn - the rest of the day just fell into place. I think I have great mental strength. I believe that the organisers are not training you to just win a Pond's Femina Miss India contest; they are looking for a 'lambi race ka ghoda' - for someone to bring home the international title.
And what makes a winner is not just what you say; judges the world over gauge your confidence, your personality even the fact that you don't sound rehearsed," says the girl who declared in her video introduction that 'a winner is a winner before she wins the crown'. "There is too much negativity in the world; what we all need are positive affirmations. Mental strength gives you a great lead, that and the willingness to learn.
You shine through. I went into the Contest with an open mind. And when they announced the winner of the Pond's Femina Miss India-Universe title, I knew I had won the chance to represent my country," says the young woman who plans to snatch the crown when she competes at the Miss Universe pageant in a few months' time. "When I won, I was so happy, in a complete state of euphoria, but the reality didn't really sink in. It was only later, when I hugged my mom, and my eyes got moist, that I realised it had happened. And that victory will stay with me for life..."
A life that includes a stint of study at the London School Of Fashion in the years to come. "Today, I am living my dream, with a sense of purpose and dedication," says the girl who is raring to get down to the business of taking on the universe. "I feel that all I have done has paid off, that it's been worth it."