Rachita Kumar: Miss India 1981 She always considered herself a good model. And winning the Miss India title came as a pleasant surprise to her. By the time the fizz of the Miss India title settled, it was almost one-and-a-half years and, by then, Rachita had married and started a new life. Today, people know her by the name Nandini Thackersey.
Pamela Singh: Miss India 1982 Her bone structure caught everyone's eye even then. Our Miss India 1982, however, went on to attract more notoriety than fame. Now, she is a serious photo-journalist and keeps as low a profile as someone with her looks can.
Rekha Hande: Miss India 1983 Miss Garden City, Spring Queen, Pond's Queen, May Queen, Aero Princess, Giants Queen and Eve's Weekly first runner-up, followed by the Miss India crown. She was truly a beauty queen with merits to prove it. However, Rekha did not pursue this glamorous field. She soon got married to a doctor in the US. And, today, she works for charity organisations.
Juhi Chawla: Miss India 1984 She is probably among the finest model-turned-actresses that we have today. She got married to millionnaire Jay Mehta in 1996. The enterprising lady has now started a film production company with actor Shah Rukh Khan and director Aziz Mirza, and is doing pretty well for herself.
Sonu Walia: Miss India 1985 A psychology graduate and a student of journalism, Sonu Walia took up modelling before she entered the Miss India contest. After winning the title, she embarked on a career in film acting and won accolades for her performance in her very first film.
Mehr Jessia: Miss India 1986 Perhaps one of the most popular models in India, Mehr today manages a successful model management agency in partnership with Vijay Mallaya, the liquor baron. And she's happily married to another leading model, Arjun Rampal.
Priyadarshini Pradhan: Miss India 1987 If she had not won the Miss India title, she would have been an architect. She won the best national costume award at the Miss Universe pageant. Later, she obtained a management degree on the insistence of her parents, but finally flew as an air hostess with Kuwait Airways.
Dolly Minhas: Miss India 1988 Winning the contest was a matter of chance for this light-eyed beauty from Chandigarh. Soon after winning the contest, she opted for a career in acting. She fell in love with the director of her first film, Anil Matoo, whom she eventually married. Today, Dolly acts in Kannada movies and television serials.
Suzanne Sablok: Miss India 1989/90 She created ripples at the Miss Universe contest by coming second in the swimsuit round although she muffed in the final answer round. After the pageant, she was a leading model and, at the peak of her career, quit modelling to marry the man she loved, Rajesh Pillai.
