The 61st Femina Miss India pageant concluded on Sunday, April 18, in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. Sadhvi Satish Sail from Goa was crowned Femina Miss India World 2026 and will be representing the country at the Miss World 2027 pageant. Rajnandini Pawar from Maharashtra was the first runner-up, and Sree Advaita G from Jammu Kashmir was the second runner-up.
Fresh off their respective wins, the three titleholders sat down for an exclusive, candid conversation with Times Network, reflecting on their journeys, the moments that defined their win, and what lies ahead. From navigating the pressures of the competition to speaking about purpose, representation and ambition, the winners offered a glimpse into the mindset that carried them to the crown – and how they plan to honour their responsibilities moving forward.
The Crowning Moment
For decades, Femina Miss India has not just celebrated beauty, but also introduced the country to its women who are striving to make a difference. A scholar in Economics, an athlete and a doctor – the range of the winners speaks for itself. But despite how different they are, there’s one thing that unites them in this current moment. Their victories.
Femina Miss India World 2026, Sadhvi Satish Sail recalls just being present in the moment: “I did my best in terms of whatever I could and that day was more than a decision, it was more about being present in the moment, making sure I soak everything in because that was the final day of our journeys. And I just wanted to be fully present, be really happy that I’ve come so far and just feeling grateful and praying to God that everything works in our favour.”
For Femina Miss India second runner-up, Sree Advaita G, the moment was completed coloured in the pride her parents felt for her. She recalled: ” I think throughout the finale what I did was I kept looking at my parents because I’d spotted them initially and after every single performance, after every single round, I made sure to make eye contact with them. My father was my biggest cheerleader. He was jumping up and down like a kid and that is what happened during the crowning as well. So the minute I got crowned, I locked eyes with my parents and I just could see the pride they had in their eyes and the joy that was in their hearts and I felt really content with what God had blessed me with and I tried to take it as gracefully as possible.”
Femina Miss India 2026 first runner-up, Rajnandini Pawar for one, completely surrendered the evening and its outcome to God’s plan. She shared: “Yes, 100%. I think for me, all of us entered this journey with a lot of aspiration, hopes and dreams. 30 daughters from all across India but only three get to go forward. So somewhere down the line I was hoping and praying for the best and I knew within myself that I have left no stone unturned for this journey and I’ve put in every single ounce of effort that I probably can and then in that moment I had just surrendered to God, to the divine and I was just hoping that from now on whatever happens it’s going to be God’s plan. I’m sure that all of us have a very bright future ahead of us.”
Varied Backgrounds, One Goal
Sail’s switch from being a scholar in Economics to the world of construction, was an expression of her curiosity, something that also guided her journey to the crown. She explains: “I think my journey was truly shaped through my curiosity. So, I honestly wanted to feel very limitless and test my abilities to the best that I can and just balance my creative aspect with my practicality that uh I’ve carried through my education. Although they might look quite scattered they all just sort of prepared me in terms of different skills that I could use and put together in this journey and that made me feel more certain, more prepared in terms of where I was headed.”
For Advaita G on the other hand, the pursuit of the crown was a means to achieve a platform that would amplify her cause. “Pageantry was never a departure from medicine, rather it is an extension of it and the rebel in me has always chosen the unconventional path. So whenever people told me that I couldn’t do something or warned me about limitations of a certain path or scope, the one thing I wanted to do is prove them wrong,” she says, elaborating, “This platform gave me that space where all parts of me can coexist. And it came out as this beautiful amalgamation. Be it the credibility from medicine, be it the discipline from dancing, be it the visibility from modeling and along with it my army background, the values shaped by my parents, all of it came together and I could portray myself in the most authentic firm.”
While Sail and Advaita G’s personal journeys led them to the Femina Miss India stage, for Pawar, being here was always the goal – and her passion for being in front of the camera is what guided her to victory. She shared: “In my life, there was not a single moment where I didn’t want to do this. I love being in front of the camera, I love expressing myself creatively.” Pawar was also guided by the fact that there weren’t very many show business related opportunities in her hometown of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. She reflected, “For me I didn’t want my surroundings or um you know my boundaries to limit me. I’ve always said that I want to be limitless in my pursuit of everything that I do. So, nothing around me has ever been a limitation for me. I always make sure and strive for better and bigger things. And for me I think why I’m able to do that is the biggest support system that I have by my side in the form of my family, my parents, my brother, my grandparents…I think a big part of who I am today are the learnings that I’ve gathered from (previous) opportunities from those platforms and stages and every now and then, every step of my journey has been a learn learning curve for me and I carry that with me today as I sit here with all of you.”
Fighting Show Business Misconceptions
Sail’s parents were utterly supportive of her decisions, supporting her by taking a backseat in her journey to victory. She recalled: “I think for me when I first told them about it my parents were very clear that they wanted to just give me the best of the education and post that it is truly up to me as to what I do out of it. They just wanted me to carve my own path and they were supportive.”
For Advaita G, the only hurdle to overcome in convincing her parents was their overprotectiveness of her. “To be honest, my parents are the kind of people whose entire universe revolves around me. I am their most beloved daughter and in fact, I’m more of a parent to them. So, they were a little overprotective at first. They were a little apprehensive towards this particular industry given there’s so many stories and myths revolving around it,” she shared. But witnessing the grueling process and her passion, eventually softened them. She proudly shared: “Now I don’t think there’s anyone else who can surpass them in terms of support and cheering me and encouraging me. Even after the crowning, the first thing my dad said is that, ‘Advaita, I don’t know if I can give you tips or advice anymore because I believe you have gained that recognition for yourself but I completely trust you and have complete faith in you that no matter what you do, you know your limitations, you know your potential and I know you will make us proud.’ So that leap of faith as a daughter hearing those words is just something else.”
Drawing Inspiration from Their Roots
Pawar’s proudest moment in the journey has been representing Maharashtra on the Femina Miss India 2026 stage. She shared: “The very day I got crowned as Femina Miss India Maharashtra will always be a special day for me because I get to represent the land of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. This land carries that warrior spirit. It carries that spirit of being fearless in your pursuit. And I think I take that pride to represent that spirit of Maharashtra where you are unstoppable if you have that one goal right in front of you. We sit here today in Mumbai, the city of dreams. And I think the only reason that all of us sit here today is that spirit of not giving up and that fearless spirit.”
Advaita on the other hand, expressed how her being raised in Jammu and now settling in Chennai, makes her a great example of the pageant’s theme this year, ‘Daughters of This Soil’. She reflected: “The one thing that traveling throughout has taught me is adapting and it has taken out the fear from uncertainty. We are always taken out of our comfort zones and uh that gives you an edge over the others because you’re not apprehensive towards life anymore. You’re not scared of the unknown anymore. So that is a that is a very good factor I feel a lot of the army kids imbibe. And apart from that, one common factor I find both in Tamil Nadu as well as Jammu and Kashmir is that the people there are extremely warm and hospitable.”
Heavy Hangs the Head
With great power, comes great responsibility – and none of the Femina Miss India 2026 winners, take the latter lightly. For Sail, the focus is on generating more employment for women: “I want to talk about more skill-based work for women. Not all of us have the privilege of having a great education and while it’s widely believed that this is something that’s vital for you to earn a livelihood, you can also depend on skill sets like candle making, sewing or even cattle herding. There’s a lot of things that women can do which can empower them and their families.”
Advaita’s set of assumed responsibilities come in the sector of women’s health, something that her MBBS degree is greatly aiding. “It is when I worked in hospital wards and I could hear stories from women of my age, older and younger, it was very sad to see how their symptoms are mostly neglected and dismissed. My plan was very clear. It was to promote health literacy amongst women and equip them with knowledge about what exactly happens in their bodies and then following it up with a free of cost medical health checkup which includes a screening of the uterus. My journey started long ago. This platform helped me amplify my voice and reach a larger magnitude of audience to which I’m extremely grateful.”
Message to the Future Generations
As a final word to the impressionable minds looking up to them, the three ladies had strong advice to share. Sail shared: “My advice would be to forever be curious, learn as much as you can. Be grateful, be grounded. Be receptive of what’s coming your way and be compassionate towards people around you. Just one person equipping themselves with all these skills can truly just change a lot in one society.”
Pawar referred back to her answer from Femina Miss India 2026 which won her the first runner-up position: “Quoting my final answer I’d like to say that talent can take you to a door, but your hard work is something that is going to keep you in the room. So it is very, very essential that you understand what path you want to take and with utmost sincerity pour your everything that you have into that dream, into that vision you have for yourself.”
Finally, Advaita’s message roots these realisations in reality: “The one advice that I’d like to give to the future generation is that life can be really tumultuous and confusing. And it is very important to hold on to oneself. People around you are going to be constantly telling you what you are and what you aren’t. So, it is very important that you hold on to your truest identity and ignore the noise around you. Listen to what is actually inside your heart.”