As she represents India at Miss World 2026 in Vietnam, scheduled for September 5, Femina Miss India World 2024 Nikita Porwal says the responsibility of carrying the country’s identity on a global stage still gives her “butterflies”.Representing India gives me butterfly“The idea of being called India, not your name, not your father’s name, not your mother’s name, but India in itself, gives me a lot of butterflies,” says Porwal, who hails from Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh. She adds, “These are the good kind of butterflies that will vanish when I’ll go there and turn into a lot of motivation to represent my country in its full swing.”Since being crowned in October 2024, Porwal says her definition of winning has evolved. “Earlier it was the crown. But now, since I’ve had so much learning in the journey, I’ve realised that if I get to represent my country to its utmost potential and to its utmost beauty, nothing like it,” she says.Nikita on her National costumeHer national costume, she adds, will be another way of telling India’s story on the global stage. “The girl who was before Miss India used to tell stories in theatre, write them or do poetry. But now I’ve got to tell the story of my nation,” she says. That instinct to tell stories also extends beyond pageantry. Porwal, who has trained in acting for six years and is set to make her Kannada debut, hopes to challenge the perception that beauty pageant winners cannot act. She looks up to Priyanka Chopra Jonas for building a career without industry backing, calling the actor’s journey “commendable”.I wanted to break the notion, that Miss India don't know acting“The way she has come from Bareilly and she has made her mark in an industry wherein she didn’t have any backing, any support from before, it is commendable,” Porwal says. She is particularly keen to challenge the stereotype that pageant winners are only about beauty. “There’s a very set notion that girls in Miss India, they don’t know acting. They’re all about beauty,” she says. “We are not given due credits for that. So, I just promised myself that I’ll break that notion.” Her goal is simple: “I just want to tell stories, good stories, through a meaty, substantial character in the film.”The thought behind Beauty with Purpose ‘Mati’That desire to create an impact beyond herself also extends to her Beauty With a Purpose initiative, Mati, which focuses on tribal communities, particularly women and children. Speaking about the project, Porwal says it has given her a sense of fulfilment. “There has always been a void. I wanted to do something that just makes me feel complete,” she says. The initiative works across areas including menstrual hygiene, clean water, nutrition, skill development and livelihood opportunities, with Porwal hoping to eventually develop it into a self-sustaining, community-owned model. “My intention for it is to just make it into a model that doesn’t need Nikita anymore,” she says.For Porwal, the journey has also been about believing in possibilities despite the odds. She recalls deciding to pursue the Miss India title despite the fact that no one from her state had won it in 60 years. “I had a faith in myself and I think that’s the turning point wherein I did it and I proved it,” she says. She credits her mother, too, for being her biggest source of strength throughout the journey, saying she became her “shield” whenever she needed support.Life beyond Miss WorldAnd while the crown remains important, Porwal already has a wishlist for life beyond Miss World. She hopes to pursue Kathak more seriously, learn horse riding and ballroom dancing, and return to the tribal communities she has worked with through Mati. “I am someone who is a student of life,” she says. “I love travelling.”
