Miss Universe 2021 Harnaaz Sandhu: We waited for this day for 21 years and I could not believe that it was all actually happening – Times of India

Innumerable calls, congratulatory messages and a massive outpouring of love and wishes from all over the country, it has been an “overwhelming experience” for the newly-crowned Miss Universe 2021 Harnaaz Sandhu. Harnaaz won the coveted crown for the country after 21 years and she says that “all this is still unbelievable to me.” She says, “The only word that comes to my mind to describe how I am feeling is unbelievable. To hear the name of my country ‘India’ on that platform (when the winner was being announced) was the feeling I would never be able to put in words. I cried and everyone around me cried. We waited for this day for 21 years and I could not believe that it was all actually happening. It is still unbelievable to me,” says Harnaaz.

The model and actor from Chandigarh, who started her journey in beauty pageants as the winner of Chandigarh Times Fresh Face 2017, says that what kept her motivated throughout her journey to be the Miss Universe 2021 was her determination to give her best and represent her country. “I have always believed that if you want to conquer something, stay calm and humble. So that is something that I have always followed throughout and even during the pageant, there were moments when I felt overwhelmed, but I kept calm. I decided to give the best shot to everything that came my way, without thinking of the end result. Being a part of this pageant, this experience has also been a great learning experience for me and I can see a huge transformation. I am more confident now and I never stopped believing in myself,” says Harnaaz, and adds that she would like to thank everyone for so much love and wishes that she received ever since the time she won the Miss Universe title.

During the final rounds of the Miss Universe pageant, Harnaaz was asked “what advice would you give to young women watching on how to deal with the pressures they face today?” And her reply left everyone impressed. “The biggest pressure the youth face today is to believe in themselves. Know that you are unique and that’s what makes you beautiful. Stop comparing yourselves with others and let’s talk about more important things that are happening worldwide. I think this is what you need to understand. Come out, speak for yourself because you are the leader of your life. You are the voice of your own. I believed in myself and that’s why I’m standing here today.” Harnaaz says that this is something she always believed in and she spoke from her heart. “I am glad that now I have a platform to reach out to more women out there, who are ready for a change. I think I now have an opportunity to speak to more women on how to empower themselves to bring change,” says Harnaaz.