Indian beauties determined to bring back international crown

Winners of Miss India Universe, Miss India World and Miss India Earth titles have said they were determined to bring international laurels to the country.

Ekta Choudhary from New Delhi bagged the Miss India Universe title. Pooja Chopra of Mumbai won the Miss India World title and shared the No. 1 position with Choudhary.

Shriya Kishore of Pune was crowned Miss India Earth.The three beauty queens said they were determined to bring back international crowns to India.

"We made a promise to each of us that we all three will try our best and get the international crown back," Chopra said.

All of them said Bollywood was not an option for them at the moment and were only concentrating on beauty contests.

"It's a very lucrative industry. It's something we all look up to but for the time being it's only the Miss Earth pageant for me. I will look at it as an option much later if the right offers come my way, but that is only after the Miss Earth pageant in Philippines," said 22-year-old Kishore. 3-year-old Choudhary, who will represent the country at the Miss Universe pageant later this year, said she believed that self-belief would take one on the path of success.

"What goes on making you a winner is also your belief in yourself, your family, your friends and in God. The response that I have got from my friends, family has been brilliant. I feel that it's not just luck, not only hard work, it's a lot more," said Choudhary. hey won the titles at the Pantaloons Femina Miss India 2009 pageant held here on Sunday.

India first won a Miss World title in 1966 with the crowning of Reita Faria. Thereafter, it took another 28 years for an Indian woman to secure another world beauty title.

In 1994, Sushmita Sen won the Miss Universe crown, while Aishwarya Rai secured the Miss World title.