Miss Universe India 2025 Manika Vishwakarma: Delhi University has a way of keeping you grounded

Manika Vishwakarma, a student of Mata Sundri College, recently visited her college campus and shares how she always wanted to be part of the DU experience.

This 22-year-old student of Delhi University (DU) is no ordinary girl next door. Meet Manika Vishwakarma – The Miss Universe India 2025 winner – who is a final year BA (Prog) student at Mata Sundri College for Women.

Manika Vishwakarma is prepping to represent India in the 74th Miss Universe pageant in Thailand, this November.(Photo: instagram/ mani_navrang)

In between living her childhood dream and chasing a bigger one – to represent India at the 74th Miss Universe pageant in Thailand in November – Manika recently visited her college. Cherishing her bond with the Capital, this youngster born in Rajasthan’s Ganganagar, shares, “I first visited Delhi for the India Art Fair as a 12-year-old and fell in love with the city! Delhi has so many imperfections, it’s chaotic but also full of dreams and opportunities. Growing up, my goal was to get into Delhi University. The moment I got admission in Mata Sundri, I knew this city would become my second home, and it just did!”

During a recent visit to her college Mata Sundri, pageant winner Manika Vishwakarma was flooded with selfie requests.

Still, a DU girl at heart, she shares how winning the crown could never change the way her college sees her. “DU has a way of keeping you grounded... Since the win, I’ve been back to college and everyone still embraces me as their own. For my friends, I’m just their friend returning [for studies], and for the teachers, I’m still their student. They keep reminding me, ‘Manika, you may have become Miss Universe India but you still need to study!’ (laughs). I still have to appear for my final year exams, and I’m excited to ace those and graduate with a DU degree.”

The journey has just begun for Manika as she sashays into the international pageant with confidence. “The dream now is to bring India its fourth Miss Universe crown. I’m putting in all the hard work to make it happen,” she says with determination, adding, “At the age of 4, I didn’t know what pageants were but I always told my mum, ‘I want to be the prettiest girl in the world.’ She would reply, ‘You know, you can also be the prettiest girl in the universe.’ Since then it’s been our journey together. So when I was crowned, she was right there in front of me with tears in her eyes. She came up to me and said, ‘You did it.’ Can never forget that moment.”

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