Manika Vishwakarma chose to showcase her love for Indian craft by appearing in a saree as the Miss Universe Organisation introduced her on Instagram and highlighted an interesting detail about her.
For the official post, she wore a rich peacock green saree made from a light chiffon fabric. The drape shimmered with gold zari applique work, a scalloped border, sequin detailing and delicate floral embroidery.
She paired it with a matching peacock green blouse that had a wide bateau neckline with a deep cut that framed her decolletage. The blouse featured gold zari work, sequin accents, a backless style, dori ties, a cropped length and a fitted shape.
Her jewellery added another layer of elegance. She wore a crystal and emerald choker, matching earrings, kadhas and a mang tika.
Her makeup kept the look bold yet balanced. She chose shaped brows, gold eyeshadow, winged liner, mascara laden lashes, soft blush, a radiant highlighter, a glossy coral pink lip and a small bindi. She finished with a centre parted braided hairstyle.
The Miss Universe Organisation also shared more about her work and personality. They described her as a political science student, an award winning artist and a strong voice for neurodiversity through her initiative Neuronova. They praised her for promoting inclusive education, mental wellness and artistic expression.
They also revealed a lesser known detail. Manika is a medical professional who volunteers in rural clinics to help improve women’s healthcare access.
Manika is twenty two and represents Rajasthan. She is carrying the Indian flag at the Miss Universe stage in Thailand this year. She won the Miss Universe India title in August 2025, receiving the crown from the previous titleholder Rhea Singha.
She was born in Sri Ganganagar and now lives in Delhi, where she is completing her final year of political science and economics at Delhi University. Before her national win, she earned the Miss Universe Rajasthan title, showing her steady rise in the pageant world.
She impressed the national jury with her clarity and conviction. In the final round, when asked to choose between focusing on women’s education or offering financial support to low income families, she chose women’s education because she believes it can break long running cycles of poverty.
Manika is trained in classical dance and is also an accomplished painter. Her art has been recognised by the Lalit Kala Akademi and the JJ School of Art. She also works actively on issues of neurodivergence and founded Neuronova to raise awareness about conditions like ADHD and to help shift public understanding.
The seventy fourth Miss Universe pageant will take place on November 21, 2025 at the Impact Challenger Hall in Thailand. Victoria Theilvig of Denmark will pass on the crown to the next winner.
India has a proud history at Miss Universe with three winners so far. Sushmita Sen in 1994, Lara Dutta in 2000 and Harnaaz Sandhu in 2021.
