How many Femina Miss India winners and runners have been successful in Bollywood?

 Miss India or Femina Miss India is a national beauty pageant in India that annually selects representatives to compete in Miss World, one of the Big Four major international beauty pageants.

It is organised by Femina, a women's magazine published by The Times Group. Since 2013, Femina also organizes Miss Diva separately which sends representatives to Miss Universe.

So, here are some of the Bollywood actresses who've won beauty peagents before their debut:

• Zeenat Aman

She is one of the most beautiful and loved yesteryear beauty queen. The super hit actress won Miss Asia Pacific in 1970 and made her entry in Bollywood with Hare Raama Hare Krishna in 1971.

• Juhi Chawla

The cute actress Juhi is also a beauty queen. She was crowned Miss India in 1984 and made her Bollywood debut with Qayamat se Qayamat Tak along with Aamir Khan.

• Aishwarya Rai Bachchan

One of the most beautiful women in the world won Miss World in 1994. She has not only proved her acting talent in Bollywood but Hollywood as well.

• Sushmita Sen

Sushmita and Aishwarya represented India at the beauty pageant. While Aishwarya won Miss World, Sush was titled Miss Universe.

• Priyanka Chopra

The talented Priyanka was crowned Miss World in 2000 with Lara winning Miss Universe title.

Priyanka is one of the successful actresses who has now become an international diva with her singing and acting skills.

• Meenakshi Seshadri

She is one of the Bollywood's beauty pageant holders who won the Miss India contest in 1981 at the age 17!

However, after acting in hit films like Damini, Ghatak and Ghayal, the actress quit acting as she got married and wanted to focus on her family.

---

Edit 1: Thanks to Chandru Khemani for suggesting.

• Swaroop Sampat

She won the Miss India contest in 1979 and represented India at Miss Universe 1979.

She has acted in several Hindi language films such as Naram Garam and Nakhuda and is known for her performance in television serials like Yeh Jo Zindagi Hai.

---

Edit 2: Thanks to Anvil Gottlieb for the suggestion.

• Urvashi Rautela

She was crowned Miss Diva - 2015 and represented India at the Miss Universe 2015 pageant.

She made her Bollywood debut with Singh Saab The Great (2013) and appeared in films like Sanam Re (2016), Great Grand Masti (2016), Hate Story 4 (2018) and Pagalpanti (2019).

---

Note: This list doesn't include Miss Sri Lanka Universe 2006 Jacqueline Fernandez, who's quite active in Bollywood.

How old is the "concept of India as a country"?

 Possibly a couple of millennia old. And on a much stronger ground compared to most other countries as it is strongly tied to the religion.

Recently I was teaching my 5 year old daughter the basic geography of India. I began with the rivers of the land — Ganga, Yamuna, Kaveri etc. Before I could finish, she immediately caught on as she was taught an ancient mantra from age 1:

गङ्गे च यमुने चैव गोदावरि सरस्वति ।
नर्मदे सिन्धु कावेरि जलेऽस्मिन् संनिधिं कुरु ॥

O Holy Rivers Ganga and Yamuna, and also Godavari and Saraswati,
O Holy Rivers Narmada, Sindhu and Kaveri; Please be Present in this Water (and make it Holy).

The geography lesson of what are the largest rivers and biggest mountains became easy as it was ingrained as part of our daily religious worship. Unlike in other major religions and major countries, in India the religion, culture and our identity as a country are deeply intertwined.

---

Countries can be defined in terms of politics or through religion/culture and it is latter that last much longer. The Jews could get back to their land after 2000 years as their concept of country transcended politics and etched in religion.

While India is an exonym and doesn’t appear prominently in our local texts, the alternate term “Bharat” appears very prominently in ancient texts. This is an official name of the country used in the Constitution. In our local languages such as Hindi, “Bharat” is the predominant term used for the country.

And the boundaries of Bharat are quite well defined over the millennia that is consistent to this day. Here are the key sites of the country as defined in the ancient epic of Mahabharata.

Every morning across the country the temples begin their prayers worshipping the waters with 7 rivers that defined the land of India to the present day [with just one replacement of Saraswati with Brahmaputra for modern day border adjustment]. Dharmic people in the south include Ganga and Kashi in their prayers while Dharmic people in the north pray to rivers such as Narmada, Kaveri and temples such as Rameswaram.

The largest epic of the country [possibly the longest epic in the world] is the Mahabharata — the story of Bharat. The epic battle in that epic involves kings across the present borders of India.

1400 years ago the great Hindu saint Shankara deeply strengthened the religion and for this he established the key borders. Look at the present borders of India [in Saffron] and how the ancient saint setup his key monasteries.

It is these cultural boundaries and religion that was more relevant for an ordinary person’s life as opposed to what king or landlord to whom you paid taxes to. These were mere administrative entities and not defining your identity. Thus, Dharmic people paid taxes to local kings, Turkic origin Mughals, English company etc at various points of time, but none of those entities really impacted their identity.

While Shankara scaled the Himalayan peaks, he never even attempted to cross the river Sindhu [Indus] or take the boat to nearby Sri Lanka. These were geographically more accessible than the Himalayan peaks, but not culturally relevant for him.

When Shiva worshippers pray to the holiest forms of Shiva, they refer to the 12 key sites that once again define the cultural boundaries of India.

Some zealous Hindus to to the extent of claiming every land near as part of our political geography and this is misguided. The lands to the west or north of present India had very little religious significance for the religion in a long time.

What are some unknown facts about India?

 

Bear temple : Chandi Mandir , a Hindu shrine , in Chhattisgarh is also known as Bear temple.

This 150 year old temple is frequented by a dozen black bears.

They arrive from nearby jungles and roam around and then leave without harming anyone.

Tiger temple : Barahi Devi temple , a Hindu shrine, in Uttarakhand is known as Tiger temple.

It was often frequented by a large and mysterious tiger; who daily used to visit it.

Jim Corbett has written a book on it who tried hard but could not hunt it.

It is still frequented by tigers who come from nearby jungles.

Lion temple : Kankai Mandir , a Hindu shrine, in Gir , Gujarat is also known as lion temple.

Well, this ancient temple is frequented by herd of Asiatic lions.

These lions arrive from nearby jungles and stay there without hurting anyone.

Facts : Animal experts opine, these animals do not see human beings as threat.

Temple authorities often stick to tough safety rules.

India with its rich flora and fauna, is a treasure grove of mysteries.

Prayer : Sri Ganeshaya Namah Sri Matre Sharanam

Pic Credits : Google Images / Web

India’s 10 Longest Non-Stop Flights

 

Miles (km)	Maximum block time*	Airport pair	Airline(s)	February-June flights on all airlines**	Aircraft and other details
8,701 (14,003)	17h 50m	Bengaluru to San Francisco	Air India	Three weekly	777-200LR
8,406 (13,529)	17h 25m	Mumbai to San Francisco	Air India	Four weekly	777-200LR
7,807 (12,565)	15h 45m	Mumbai to Newark	Air India	Three weekly	777-300ER
7,799 (12,551)	15h 40m	Mumbai to New York JFK	Air India	Daily	777-200LR
7,706 (12,402	15h 45m	Delhi to San Francisco	Air India	11 weekly	777-200LR
7,506 (12,080)	15h 50m	Delhi to Washington Dulles	Air India	Five weekly	787-8
7,484 (12,044)	15h 25m	Delhi to Chicago O'Hare	Air India	Daily	777-300ER
7,324 (11,786)	16h 55m (!)	Delhi to Newark	Air India, United	Up to 18 weekly	787-9 (United, daily to double daily***), 777-200LR/300ER (Air India, four weekly)
7,318 (11,777)	16h 55m (!)	Delhi to JFK	Air India, American	Double daily	777-300ER (Air India, daily); 777-300ER (American, daily)
7,246 (11,662)	16h 45m (!)	Delhi to Toronto	Air Canada, Air India	Double daily	777-200LR (Air Canada, daily); 777-300ER (Air India, daily)
	* Either direction across airlines			** Each way; note my comments about United under this table	*** Reduces to daily on March 31

Longest Train Routes in India

India’s railway system is one of the biggest in the world, connecting cities, towns and villages with a wide network of tracks. It makes travel easy and helps people move smoothly across the country. These long train routes allow people to visit faraway places, experience new things, and enjoy India’s rich diversity. This article will look at the longest train routes in India.

Indian Railway System

Indian Railways, under the Ministry of Railways, operates India’s national railway system, the world’s fourth largest. With 132,310 km of track, 96.59% electrified by 2024, it employs over 1.2 million people, making it India’s second-largest employer. Founded in 1951, it merged 42 railway companies and now has 18 regional zones.

Here is the list of Top-10 longest train routes in India:

S. No.	Train Name	Route	Distance (in km)	Time
1.	Vivek Express	Kanyakumari- Dibrugarh	4,154.1	75 hrs 30 min
2.	Aronai Superfast Express	Thiruvananthapuram Central- Silchar	3915.5	71 hrs 45 min
3.	Himsagar Express	Kanyakumari- Shri Mata Vaishnu Devi Katra	3788.7	68 hrs 20 min
4.	Ten Jammu Express	Tirunelveli Junction- Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra	3642	71 hrs 20 min
5.	New Tinsukia- Bengaluru Weekly Express	Bangalore- New Tinsukia	3,642	65 hrs
6.	Humsafar Express	Agartala- Banglore Cantonment	3599	64 hrs 15 min
7.	Silchar- Coimbatore SF Express	Silchar- Coimbatore	3,544	64 hrs 15 min
8.	Avadh Assam Express	Dibrugarh- Lal Garh Junction	3,118	66 hrs 25 min
9.	Kochuveli- Dehradun SF Express	Kochuveli- Yog Nagari Rishikesh	3110.6	52.5 hrs
10.	Yesvantpur Kamakhya AC SF Express	Yesvantpur- Kamakhya	3025	52.5 hrs

India’s Longest Train Route: Kanyakumari- Dibrugarh

• Train name: Vivek Express
• Route: Kanyakumari- Dibrugarh
• Distance: 4,218.6 km
• Time: 74 hours 35 minutes

The Kanyakumari- Dibrugarh Vivek Superfast Express is a special train that travels all the way from Dibrugarh in Assam to Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu. It is the longest train route in India,  taking about 74 hours 35 minutes to cover a distance of 4,218.6 km. This train passes through eight states, giving people chance to sea different places. Vivek Express (now Vivek Superfast Express) are four pairs of express trains that were announced in the Railway-Budget of 2011-12. These trains were started to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda.

Second longest train route in India: Thiruvananthapuram Central- Silchar

• Train name: Aronai Superfast Express
• Route: Thiruvananthapuram Central- Silchar
• Distance: 3,932 km
• Time: 74 hours and 44 minutes

The Thiruvananthapuram Central- Silchar Aronai Superfast Express runs between Thiruvananthapuram Central and Silchar. It’s a long journey, taking 74 hours and 44 minutes to cover a distance of 3,932 km. This train goes through 8 states in India. It was first started between Thiruvananthapuram Central and Guwahati, but later it was extended to Silchar. It is now the longest-running superfast train and the second longest running train in India.

Third Longest Train Route in India:  Kanyakumari- Shri Mata Vaishnu Devi Katra

• Train name: Himsagar Express
• Route: Kanyakumari- Shri Mata Vaishnu Devi Katra
• Distance: 3787 km
• Time: 72 hours

The Himsagar Express is a weekly Indian train that travels from Kanyakumari to Shri Mata Vaishnu Devi Katra. It is the 36th longest train in India and third longest train in India. The journey takes about 72 hours to cover a distance of 3787 km, passing through 12 Indian States and stoppage at 73 stations.

Tirunelveli Junction- Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra

Train Name: Ten Jammu Express

Route: Tirunelveli Junction- Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra

Distance: 3642 km

Time: 71 hours and 20 min

The Ten Jammu Express, operating as Train 16787/16788, is a weekly railway service linking Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra in Jammu and Kashmir with Tirunelveli Junction in Tamil Nadu. Covering 3,633 km in about 69 hours, it is the world’s 40th largest train route and the fourth longest within Indian Railways, crossing 13 states with 64 stopes.

Bangalore- New Tinsukia

Train Name: New Tinsukia- Bengaluru Weekly Express

Distance: 3,642 km

Time Taken: 65 hrs

The New Tinsukia- Bengaluru Weekly Express, with the train numbers 22501/02, operates as a weekly Superfast train service. It serves as a vital rail link connecting Tinsukia, the easternmost town in Assam, to the bustling metropolis of Bengaluru in South India. This train offers various coach classes, including AC 1st class, 2-tier, 3-tier and sleeper-class coaches. As of 2023, it ranks as the fifth longest train route within the Indian Railways network, covering an impressive total distance of 3,542 kilometers.