Rajasthan girl Suman Rao was crowned Femina Miss India 2019 and is representing India at the Miss World 2019 pageant. The 20-year-old had previously won the title of Miss India Rajasthan 2019.
The 20-year-old is a model and dancer from Rajasthan's Aaidana village which is near Udaipur. She was born on November 23, 1999 and is currently studying to be a Chartered Accountant.
Her father is a jeweller and her mother is homemaker. Ms Rao and her family moved to Mumbai when she was one year old and studied at Mahatma School of Academics and Sports in Navi Mumbai.
In 2018, she was crowned the 1st runner-up in Miss Navi Mumbai contest. She then went on to win Femina Miss Rajasthan 2019. She represented Rajasthan at the Femina Miss India 2019 pageant.
On 15 June 2019, she was crowned as Femina Miss India World by the previous year's titleholder Anukreethy Vas at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Indoor Stadium in Mumbai.
Besides being a model, Suman Rao is trained Kathak dancer. On Instagram, Ms Rao posted a video of her dancing to a classical song. She captioned the post and wrote, "Only a day left for me to start my once in a life time journey and I'm all set with my preparations! Here's presenting a teaser of my dance video to all my supporters for the love and best wishes I've received for @missworld."
This talented contestant also feels immensely about gender equality. In Miss World 2019's Beauty With A Purpose" segment, she took initiatives to help tribal women to realise their dreams through financial independence. Her campaign was titled "Project pragati".
She helped these women manufacture the shampoos, gels and other products and earn their livelihood from within their village. Princess Divya Kumari Foundation rallied behind her project and helped the women train in producing handlooms, decorative handicrafts, accessories and jewellery. The products made by them are sold near the Jaipur City palace and can also be bought online. She is also associated with the Bharat Sevashram Sangha, a non profit organization backed by the United Nations, for an even wider reach of their products.
The pageant's grand finale is scheduled to be held in ExCeL London, United Kingdom, on 14 December 2019. Vanessa Ponce of Mexico will crown the successor of her title at the event.
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