Srishti Kaur, an Indian model, entrepreneur and beauty pageant titleholder, was crowned Miss Teen Universe in 2017 becoming the first ever Indian-Asian winner of Teen Universe pageant. She was 19-years-old when she was crowned the new queen.
Srishti’s journey in the pageantry happened when she won the title of Miss Most Glamorous at the beauty pageant Tulip India in Goa, in middle of 2016 which led to the India organisers of Miss Teen Universe discovering this teen beauty. She was thus invited to participate in the Miss Teen Universe 2017 held early January of 2017. Srishti won the title of Miss Tiara Teen International and went onto represent India at Miss Teen Universe 2017 in April at Central America in Managua Nicaragua City.
During one of her interviews, Srishti mentioned, “I used to think of beauty pageants as an unachievable dream. As a teenager my vision of what I wanted to accomplish by winning this title was to gain poise, groom myself better and of course, to come in limelight. But my perceptions changed in entirety as I came to the final moments. The whole experience was life changing, I met so many different people from around the country, made new friends and it enlarged my vision of a beauty contest. It’s not just winning the crown or the fame that comes with it but going through the experience. Our grooming teacher was so amazing and the things he taught us about etiquettes, ethics, life, morality and how confidence can take you to newer horizons have indeed helped us find our inner strengths. Today, I truly believe that it’s not just your outer beauty that matters but how beautiful a soul you are because that is where you bring a difference to the society around you”.
Beaming with joy at making the nation proud, the 19-year-old said “I am elated to bring home the crown. More than the fear of competition or pangs of nervousness, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience right from the first day till the culmination of the event. ”She tackled the language barrier in a smart way. She explained one incidence from the pageant, “Once all the girls were speaking in fluent Spanish. Suddenly, I started speaking randomly in Hindi. When they inquired what I was up to I replied that is exactly what I feel when they don’t speak in English,” Interestingly, Srishti also taught contestants a smattering of Hindi. “I taught them how to say words like namaste, kaise ho. And they fell in love with these simple words with profound meanings. I combined songs Aja Nachle, Nagara Dhol and Jai Ho and taught them our dancing moves. All of them started grooving and it was fun to see how catchy our Hindi film songs can be as they even made foreigners take a jig.”
Srishti hails from the city of Noida, Uttar Pradesh and after winning the crown, she moved back to Noida from Mumbai to help her parents. Her parents have co-founded for the underprivileged children called the, APNA GHAR in Noida. In her free time, she teaches at the school and is also an active participant in the NGOs around her area. In fact, Srishti made sure she celebrated her victory with her students.
The diva is pursuing her fashion studies from the London School of Fashion owing to a natural bend towards the fashion Srishti has. She likes to travel, dance, listen to music, and spend time with family and friends, and sketching. The 22-year-old diva made not only her parents proud but the entire country proud by winning the first ever title of Miss Teen Universe for India. Her approach to life is very candid and she takes life as it comes. Irrespective of her other interests she is a successful entrepreneur and has her own online portal www.crystalsourcing.online where she brings to the world her artistic endeavours in fashion accessories.
“I want to be a successful young entrepreneur and take my mother’s business to a newer high. I support Make in India and take my label to an international platform breaking away from the stereotype of a businesswoman. I want to be an inspiration to girls who are afraid to follow their dreams. I want them to believe that everything we aspire for is achievable,” shares the teenage beauty queen about her future.
Srishti’s work with visually impaired persons at School for the Blind in Delhi helped her to give a powerful social message. “I said both India and Nicaragua are beautiful countries. So, I would like to make blind persons experience this beautiful paradise which we call Earth. Without vision they have to touch objects and visualise how beautiful things would be. ”She wants to promote ‘Make in India’ project through a mix of indigenous ethnic embroidery and Western wear. “I want to make use of traditional silver jewellery, handmade embroideries and handicrafts which epitomise Indian heritage and culture. Through my online label Crystal Sourcing I am making bags and footwear. I would soon be roping in boys and girls aged between 18 and 25 who are familiar with latest fashion trends,” says Srishti, whose ambition is to participate as a designer at the London Fashion Week.
Srishti admires Miss World 2000 Priyanka Chopra for representing the country on the international film circuit. She feels that Priyanka is someone she looks in awe as she is doing a mix of Hollywood and Bollywood. Srishti in a very young age has achieved so much with her hard work, dedication and strong will. She also gets inspiration from Miss Universe 1994 Sushmita Sen and describes her “an enviable poise, self-confidence and peerless beauty.”