When I was crowned as Miss India Earth

A page from the personal diary of Reshmi Ghosh I feel very happy when I think about the day when I was crowned Miss India Earth and I thank everyone who played an important role in making it possible. It was in 2001 when I was in Kolkata busy with modelling assignments. I was a famous model out there who was often seen in Femina and other magazines. One day I was informed Femina was considering my name to participate in the Miss India contest, but I was not at all ready for it. I have always been a very shy girl who always kept to herself, with a very few friends. I was scared and developed cold feet when I realised that they all were very serious. The chief-editor of the magazine pushed me ahead to participate and everyone from the make-up artist to the cameraman of my team made sure I took up that opportunity. I was the only one selected from the eastern region. Unwillingly I landed in Mumbai and started preparing for the D-day. I never expected to win the show because I underestimated myself saying that only women like Aishwarya Rai and Sushmita Sen can win. When I was on stage I was so confident and relaxed that I pinched myself to check whether it was all for real. The things that happened with me since the time I first appeared on that stage till the time I won is so special that I cannot even express it all in words. For the first time in the Miss India contest I was awarded the Miss India Earth title and I was amongst the three winners which included Neha Dhupia and Shruti Sharma. Gauhar Khan and Tina Chatwal were the runners-up. I could not believe I was one of the winners and got very emotional after that. I thanked everyone who pushed me to participate and for having faith and belief in me. It is because of them that I am here and those people and days spent with them are a very special part of my life.