How Divita Rai, India’s Miss Universe 2022 entrant, mixes glam with purpose

Divita Rai, a 25-year-old Indian architect and model, is the country's representative at the Miss Universe 2022 beauty pageant, which is set to take place on January 14 in New Orleans, United States. Rai, a native of Karnataka, was crowned Miss Diva Universe 2022 in August last year. At the preliminary round of the 71st Miss Universe beauty pageant, she stunned the crowd with her ‘Sone ki Chidiya’ themed shimmering golden ensemble, symbolic of India's wealth, rich cultural heritage and spiritual essence.

The outfit was designed by Abhishek Sharma, while the wings were created by Reza Shariffi. Kavya Potluri provided the hand-crafted jewellery that completed the look.

Rai grew up in Mumbai, pursuing modelling alongside her graduate studies at Sir JJ College of Architecture. She also gained practical knowledge by assisting in the set design for a film. Inspired by her father's struggles in completing his education, Rai became a staunch believer in the power of knowledge in enabling people. Earlier, she had revealed that her father used his education to overcome his financial difficulties, giving himself the capacity to work and support his family.

The young diva hopes to be able to use the beauty pageant platform and work to make education more accessible to children, especially girls. To that end, Rai has already partnered with India's top non-governmental organisations such as Child Rights and You (CRY), Teach for India and Nanhi Kali. In 2021, the same year she became runner-up at the Miss Diva Universe, Divita raised funds for a foundation working for children who could not afford cancer treatment.

Rai's passion for learning and social work is supplemented by her interest in sports such as badminton and basketball. She enjoys painting, listening to music, cooking, running and reading.

In an earlier interview given to Times Entertainment, she spoke about her adaptive personality — a result of changing six schools as a child. She also stated that her inspiration is the Indian actress and former Miss Universe, Sushmita Sen. Rai is moved by Sen’s “strength, faith in her abilities, and kindness that she radiates.” She is a fan of Mexican painter Frida Kahlo's work and life.

According to her Miss Universe profile, Rai is always willing to explore new versions of herself. She believes that the line "the world is your oyster, it is up to you to find the pearls," from the movie The Pursuit of Happyness, sums up her journey in life.