It was a 45-minute interview that helped select the first Miss India in 1964, not a fanfare-echoing pageant. For her part, the chosen one, 19-year-old model Meher Mistry, was not thinking about the fact that she was now an indelible part of Indian history. Far from it. She was terrified. The prospect of travelling abroad alone almost made her pull out of the whole affair.
“It was like being thrown into the deep end of the pool and not knowing how to swim,” recalls Meher. If that was not enough, she had to prepare for the international pageants all by herself. “I had to train myself, I did not have a team. How I’m going to walk, what I’m going to talk about, how I will behave and the concept of what a beauty queen should be,” says Meher.
To be fair, that 45-minute interview with the then-editor of Femina, a man named Dr. K. D. Jhangiani, and the magazine’s brand manager had prepared her quite a bit after they had selected her from a pile of photographs sent in by at least 500 aspirants from around India hoping to represent the country in the upcoming international beauty pageants. Meher had been grilled about her general knowledge, knowledge of the country, how she would represent the country, her hobbies, how well she could speak English before being confirmed that she would represent the country at the upcoming Miss United Nations Pageant and subsequently the Miss Universe Pageant.
“I was also photographed in a swimsuit, an evening gown and a sari, these being the three mandatory pictures for selection, with the swimsuit being the main criteria for the international beauty contest,” says Meher. Her supportive parents also pitched in with Rs3,000 to help her prepare her wardrobe which was mainly saris and a matching jewellery set because “I wanted to show the Indian outfit and salwar kameez.”
Finally, the experience of travelling abroad and participating in both the pageants, Miss United Nations in Spain and Miss Universe in Miami was sensational, even if Meher had to borrow an evening gown from Miss Michigan during the Miss Universe pageant! But, with the tag of Miss India emblazoned on her heart forever, Meher overcame all her fears. She even got featured in the local media for the bindis she wore! When she returned to India, there were no screaming fans outside the Bombay airport and the media did not write about her.
Life though, would not be the same. Meher juggled a full-time job in public relations while fulfilling modelling assignments all over the country eventually giving up the PR job to focus on her burgeoning modelling career. She went on to become Meher Castelino after marriage and making her mark as one of India’s foremost fashion writers, even authoring three books. “The funny thing is, after 59 years I’m getting more publicity about winning the title than I got when I won it! By the way, the only prize I got at that time was from Hero Cycles. And I don't cycle!” Meher, like each of the Femina Miss India winners after her, did more for Indian women than they could have ever known.
