Ordinarily extraordinary

There’s nothing extraordinary about Manushi Chhillar. Hailing from Haryana, the state with the most skewed sex ratio, the 20-year-old is the girl-next-door who wears big glasses with thick black frame, ties her hair into a neat plait, has aspirations that every common girl has … and yet her name is on every Indian’s lips. For, she’s made India proud by clinching the coveted Miss World crown, 17 years after Priyanka Chopra won it for India. However, there’s much more to this epitome of beauty, who has become the sixth woman from the country to win the title. Born to a family of doctors, she aspires to become one. This MBBS student has been CBSE topper in English in class 12. Besides a formal training in Kuchipudi, from none other than the legendary dancing couple Radha and Raja Reddy, she’s also learnt classical singing. By spreading awareness about menstrual hygiene with Project Shakti, she’s been giving purpose to beauty. Here’s looking at her journey to fame in pictures: