Thats Our Girl


In the hush that followed the Miss India contest, most of the country had quite forgotten about the upcoming Miss Universe competition, to be held on May 21, in Manila, the Philippines. Unlike the Miss India contest, this one was not advertised as a 'live' broadcast. Then, the thunder struck. The news broke loose. All wires activated. India had won! A leggy Delhi belle with the most compelling personality, towered over 76 other beauties in the most viewed and talked-about international pageant. It was our very own 'Gandhi and khadi' girl, Sushmita Sen! A story that had to be.




It is not everyday that an 18-year-old fuels the international news machine: tabloids, news agencies, broadsheets, and multinational networks. It is not everyday that naivety is seamlessly married to a profoundly philosophical personality. It is hardly ever that an intelligent, articulate young woman; is equally expressive in the mute, very physical world of modeling. Hardly an adult, yet making a very adult living (now, tax free!). A child, who speaks of downtrodden children. A girl, who waxes hauntingly eloquent on the essence of womanhood. A person reared in the cocoon of cantonment life, in a middle-class suburb of Delhi, now showered with attention of global proportions. An ambassador of feminine beauty, peace, love, and optimism, at an age most kids are worried about getting a driving-license and a drinking permit. That's Sushmita Sen. That's Miss Universe, 1994. Representative of a nation of some 900 million people. Now, representative of humanity's higher aspirations: charity, love, and bringing happiness to the unfortunate.


Life, at its best, is unpredictable. It doesn't promise you anything, it doesn't take you by the hand, or show you all your destinations. For some, life just doesn't have any revelations. For others, it is a mellow tide, with occasional tidal waves. For Sushmita, life in its entirety, is obviously an unending ride upon the storm. It is apparent when you watch the post-Miss India interviews. The girl (between peals of warm laughter) revealed that when her father refused to let her go to the disco, she wrote a poem. Not surprisingly, it dwelled on the significance of "moments", moments which "pass like mice, don't let them pass you by." Youth is wasted on the young, goes a saying that stands corrected when confronted with Sen. For Sen has all the physical advantages of youth, and the wisdom associated with years of experience: The youngest among the 77 contestants at the Miss Universe pageant, she was yet the least predictable. Each round of questions met with soulful, reflective replies. Unlike Miss Venezuela, whose smiles got a bit profuse, and Miss Colombia, whose signature concern with pregnant, unwed mothers became repetitive, Sen's controlled; philosophical words carried a seductive resonance.



Take that poetic temperament (obviously inherited from her maternal grandfather, who was a poet) and fuse it with hardcore ambition and practicality, and what can you expect, but a winner? According to Ramesh Menon, a freelance journalist and friend of Sen, the young lady knew she had to make an impact at first opportunity. She thought over many ways to introduce herself in the introductory national costume parade, and then hit on: "Namaste, I am Sushmita Sen from India, where love is the essence of life!" Her' instincts couldn't have been sharper. The very first round of questions tackled her on what she meant by her announcement. Pat came her answer. India was multi-racial (her word, "multi-national' was absurd, but she was quick to support it by the phrase 'in the sense that'), it was a Goliath of a country; with 168 languages, no less. That we live in a state of relative harmony, is an indication that this is a nation of love. The shocking confidence in her categorical, positive assertion, had everyone charmed, if not convinced. Somehow with a few lines, she had--momentarily-obviated Kashmir, Assam, religious fundamentalism, and other bleak facts of Indian life. It was just as elegant as her, suave statement at the 'Femina Miss. India contest, that as far as she knew, 'the textile tradition of India began with khadi and Gandhi!

Sen is intelligent, but it is an intelligence as yet untainted by realism. Before all this happened, hers was yet a gossamer world, tipped between the cradle and the crown. Creative rather than literal, poetic rather than pedantic, it is these very qualities that endeared her to the viewers and judges. Take, for example, the manner in which she answered a most prosaic question. What sort of adventure would she undertake, had she the time and the money? "I believe that adventure is within myself and I would look for adventure in any child not. only a downtrodden child; but any child." A question so geographical, so tangible, was turned by Sen into a key to a profound insight!.

And of course, Sen didn't disappoint in that hair-splitting, fortuitous final round. What is the essence of a woman? Pause. A pause that showed, again, a fine degree of self-control and self-confidence. Sen was not going to take this round lightly. This was the purgatorial stage of the contest. Heaven or oblivion lay on either side. When she devoted the last month of her stay in Bombay, exclusively again, to prepare for the pageant, she was well warned by Sathya Saram, editor of Femina that there must be no compromise. A little slackness, defeat, and she would return to the country with no honors, no fans, no reception. Sen had seen how past Miss Indias, namely Madhu Sapre and Namrata Shirodkar missed the glory by just a few words. A few mistaken, weak syllables.

"Just being a woman is God's gift" Sen's husky voice broke over 600 million television viewers, and an auditorium containing some 20,000 odd people. Then came spontaneous inspiration: "The origin of a child is a mother, a woman. Woman is sharing she shows a man what sharing, caring, and loving is all about. That is the essence of a woman."

So what made her answer so full? So elemental? Structure. It was clinched, like the lyrics of a song. It was confident in its minimalism. Couched in a gentle voice which conveyed. tremendous conviction. What Sen said, somehow sounded like an old proverb, sifted from the myths and wisdom of an ancient civilization.

It is hard to believe that a girl could appear to be so accomplished with so fundamental an education socially, or academically. Then she is a Scorpio and Lord knows one can't take them for granted. Her schooling predominantly in the Air Force Golden Jubilee Institute, seems to have stood her in more than good stead. In so many ways, the little Titan or Titu (her pet name) is just like any other urbane Indian kid. She loves beer, spaghetti bolognaise, movies, like Roja, Pretty Woman, Overboard, books like My Feudal Lord (by Tehmina Durrani), and behold, STAR TV soaps like Santa Barbara and The Bold and the Beautiful! She freaks on ghazals, country music, soul, adores her dog Peps, loves holidaying in Goa, and thinks of Kishore Kumar and Raj Kapoor with nostalgia. She is deeply disturbed by begging children, and when asked about her attitude towards life, claims that "I made up my mind to walk up the stairs rather than take the lift."

It is obvious that the English Honors student wanted more than just a degree and some dingy job as a journalist. Observes Ramesh Menon: "I first met Sush after her class ten board finals. Over the next two years, she was armed with a portfolio that did not bring her much work. She had but a sprinkling of fashion shows. Then, soon after Miss India '93 was crowned, Sush seemed to know what she wanted. She had another portfolio done, and by this time, had completed her class twelve, She wasn't very inclined to attend regular college. What better pastime than modeling? For all her simplicity, she loved the glitter and glamour, and the money that came with it!"

The transformation from girl-next-door to supergirl was gradual Sen was now pitching to be the best in the business. She got an audition with Shantanu Sheorey last September. Though the results were fabulous, he did not need her. During this time, Menon recalls, "Sush was a very demanding, possessive, yet loving and caring friend. She needed attention all the time. And she sought lots of love from her friends. But she could also be very strong, adamant, and give a damn as to what the world at large felt."

At an inaugural party of the AIPA workshop on Photography in Delhi in October, she stunned quite a few lensmen with her cool demeanour and sense of humour. "You've got to introduce me to the Bombay guys," she told Menon. Time flew as Sen continued to plough opportunities in Delhi, for the big break. And that's when the forms for Miss India '94 appeared. Case closed!

"She has an uncanny gift of persuasion," reflects '93 Miss Universe runner-up, Namrata Shirodkar, "After she won the Miss India title, and took up professional modelling, I saw her arriving late for a couple of shows. She was still new; a bit disorganised with dates. I took her aside, asked her to be careful But even then, I observed how easily she handled people. She cooled tempers with great tact and was so convincing."

"If questioned about something wrong she had done, she'd very wittily make you see her point of view. Very quick on the uptake; she would use her intelligence to sail through any situation," beams her father, Mr. Sen, a retired Air Force commander. Says Ramma Bans, her fitness instructor, who supervised Sen's yoga and weight-lifting routine: "For someone so young, she never gave the impression of being carried away. There were days when you marvelled at her lack of privacy; the number of commitments she had. But she remained simple, very down-to-earth."

Says Kaushik Ghosh, who runs a modelling school in Delhi, and met Sen at an audition for a fashion show. "I could see that she had the height and the confidence to make it, but lacked the polish of a model, and needed some training with her walk and posing. In December '92, she participated in the first show of her life, at Siri Fort Auditorium, Delhi, and then in my show in January 93. At that time, some well-known models wanted to stage a walk-out because they felt that Sen was too new. But I was adamant. She constantly questioned me about her shortcomings, so she could better herself. She never bitched about anybody, even if the models and choreographers gave her a rough time. Hers is a real Cinderella story. I'm proud that she made it."

"I want to see you in the 10 finalists," was what Sen's wardrobe designer, Sangeeta Chopra told her. Chopra's pet phrase, "she's no bimbo-beauty" is illumined when you hear her say, "Sush has a vibrant personality. She is self-assured, but in a pleasant way. I sensed her nervousness when she left. But I knew she believed in herself. She was thrilled about having won a token title, "Luckiest Contestant." But I told her I'd only be satisfied with the crown!"

Recalls Sathya Saran, "Once, after winning her Miss India title, she was flying back to Delhi on completion of a shoot in Bombay. I asked her to help herself, call up the airlines and book her own ticket. When she called, she had to identify herself. The moment she said Sushmita Sen, the airlines told her not to worry, they'd find a seat for her even if they were full up. She couldn't believe she was so well-known. I told her, of course, you are known. You're a national celebrity!"

This earthy rootedness is just what impressed fashion columnist Meher Castelino. "A lot of successful models, when contacted for an interview, are obliging, but abrupt. Sushmita was so warm, I felt like I had known her for years. She was totally punctual, had all her photos in place, so I could choose from them." Castelino also marvels at Sen's verbal virtuosity. "I've watched her in several interviews, and noticed that she keeps her mind very cool, uncluttered. She either pauses, or repeats the question. That is a clever way of gaining two to five seconds, to sort out your ideas. She never had her foot in her mouth.

"There are reports claiming that Sen practised pat replies to questions with a Karaoke microphone, getting voice projection, intonations, pronunciations; correct. Reveals her boyfriend, Rajat Tara, an export merchandiser with Benetton, "She worked hard at preparing herself. She'd say 'C'mon! Ask me questions, and I'd sportingly start off: 'Miss Sen, what would you do if you were to...!* She always had answers!"

Words never fail a poet, do they? Apparently Sen was loved even at work, where she could keep up a constant patter, between striking those professional poses. She was acquainted with sher-o-shayaris, and even ventured into a duel with actor Shatrugan Sinha once, just after they'were'introduced before a TV recording!

Probe a little deeper, and you see other forerunning factors that have helped Sushmita Sen become such a confident, articulate teenager. Her mother always treated her as an adult. Said she, in a recent published interview: "Sushmita was never a problem child. At a young age, she was stubborn, not arrogant. What she wanted, she wanted. She was a very social (sic) child, maybe because I took her wherever I went. From a kitty party to any ladies club function. She has lots of friends and her birthday parties were always a grand, much-awaited event."

It is obvious that mother and daughter shared a strong relationship. Sen claims that the influence on her career is her "mom." In her heyday, Mrs. Sen who is, even today, more glamorous than her daughter, was offered the Bombay Dyeing campaign, but turned it down and got married. She always told her daughter, "Either you will zoom up in life or you'll go down into the dumps," She had enough confidence in her growing daughter to tell her what was good and bad, and allow her to choose. Before Sen left for the Miss India contest, mother and daughter talked for several days. Mrs. Sen warned her at the airport, that there is such a thing as an 'upset', too, and encouraged her to keep her equilibrium, to be natural, and be herself. The next morning, the papers had declared her daughter to be Miss India, 1994

Sen's father has also contributed to her remarkable personality. "What I gave her and my son (who is 13 and in school), right from the beginning, was freedom to express themselves in whatever way they wanted, but within certain parameters, And I think that is what stood them in good' stead." Added to this liberalism, was the constant change of setting for the growing Sen. Born in Hyderabad, her family was posted in Nagpur, then Jorhat, and finally in Delhi, where she attended the Air Force Silver School, over the last decade, In one televised interview, Sen had mused over the pluses and minuses of cantonment life," Being part of the 'camp' kept you isolated from outside realities. "But you also meet people who are genuine, who know you well, and encourage you sincerely."

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