A 'good kind of butterflies'
Nikita Porwal, crowned Femina Miss India World 2024, is preparing to represent India at the 73rd Miss World Festival, with the finale scheduled for September 5 in Nha Trang, Vietnam. In an interview with Hindustan Times, Porwal said the responsibility of representing an entire country still gives her "butterflies" — the good kind.
"The idea of being called India, not your name, not your father's name, not your mother's name, but India in itself, gives me a lot of butterflies," she said. "These are the good kind of butterflies that will vanish when I'll go there and turn into a lot of motivation to represent my country in its full swing."
Since her crowning in October 2024, Porwal said her definition of winning has evolved. "Earlier it was the crown. But now, since I've had so much learning in the journey, I've realised that if I get to represent my country to its utmost potential and to its utmost beauty, nothing like it," she said.
From Ujjain to the global stage
Born and raised in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, Porwal studied at Carmel Convent Senior Secondary School before pursuing a Bachelor of Performing Arts, with a specialisation in theatre, at Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda. She was crowned Femina Miss India World 2024 at the pageant's 60th edition in Mumbai.
According to Porwal, no woman from Madhya Pradesh had won the Miss India title in six decades. "I had a faith in myself and I think that's the turning point wherein I did it and I proved it," she told Hindustan Times. She credited her mother as her biggest source of strength, calling her her "shield."
A storyteller at heart
Before the pageant stage, Porwal spent years on theatre stages. According to the Miss World organisation, she has performed in more than 60 theatrical productions. She is also a playwright and Creative Director of theatre company Rangrays, and has written a 250-page theatrical work titled Krishna Leela. She has acted in the Brij language film Chambal Paar, which has been screened at international film festivals.
Porwal, who has trained in acting for six years and is set to make her Kannada debut, hopes to challenge the perception that beauty pageant winners cannot act. She cited Priyanka Chopra Jonas as a role model, praising the actor for making her mark without industry backing. "The way she has come from Bareilly and she has made her mark in an industry wherein she didn't have any backing, any support from before, it is commendable," Porwal said.
Her national costume, she said, will be another way of telling India's story on the global stage. "The girl who was before Miss India used to tell stories in theatre, write them or do poetry. But now I've got to tell the story of my nation," she said.
Beauty With a Purpose: the Mati initiative
Porwal's Beauty With a Purpose initiative is called Mati, which focuses on tribal communities, particularly women and children. The initiative works across areas including menstrual hygiene, clean water, nutrition, skill development and livelihood opportunities. Porwal hopes to eventually develop Mati into a self-sustaining, community-owned model.
Looking ahead, Porwal hopes to pursue Kathak more seriously, learn horse riding and ballroom dancing, and return to the tribal communities she has worked with through Mati. India has won the Miss World crown six times.