- Manika Vishwakarma from Rajasthan crowned Miss Universe India 2025
- She will represent India at the 74th Miss Universe pageant in Thailand on November
- Choose women’s education over immediate economic aid, stressing that “educating one woman uplifts an entire generation."
Rajasthan's Manika Vishwakarma has been crowned Miss Universe India 2025 at a glittering finale held in Jaipur on August 18, 2025. The 23-year-old beauty queen, who earlier won the Miss Universe Rajasthan 2024 title, will now represent India at the 74th Miss Universe pageant in Thailand on November 21, 2025.
Manika succeeds Rhea Singha, Miss Universe India 2024, who gracefully passed on the tiara in a spectacular handover. With her win, India has found a new face to carry its sash onto the global stage this November. The crown was closely contested, with Tanya Sharma from Uttar Pradesh finishing as the first runner-up, followed by Mehak Dhingra from Haryana as the second runner-up, and Amishi Kaushik securing the position of third runner-up.
A trained classical dancer and accomplished painter, Manika was born in Sri Ganganagar and is currently based in Delhi, in her final year of studying Political Science and Economics. Her works have been recognized by prestigious institutions such as the Lalit Kala Akademi and the JJ School of Arts.
She is equally passionate about driving social change. Manika is the founder of Neuronova, an initiative dedicated to reshaping the narrative around neurodivergence. Through this platform, she advocates for greater awareness and acceptance of conditions such as ADHD, emphasizing them not as disabilities but as unique strengths that enrich human diversity.
In her decisive finale round, Manika was asked to choose between prioritizing women's education or providing immediate economic aid for impoverished families, and to justify her choice.
She said, "Two sides of the coin. Women have been deprived of education for generations, leading to poverty. If I have to choose, I will choose women's education. Because educating one woman uplifts an entire generation, shaping the future of our country and the world. While both issues matter, we must act for the long run."
