Exclusive | Liva Miss Diva Winners Shweta Sharda and Sonal Kukreja on their challenges, journey, and more

The LIVA Miss Diva Universe beauty pageant concluded this week, and Shweta Sharda and Sonal Kukreja were crowned LIVA Miss Diva Universe 2023 and LIVA Miss Supranational 2023, respectively. The two beauty queens won the hearts of the jury and took home the crown in the glitzy ceremony. Shweta, who has been around in the industry for a very long time, was crowned Miss Diva Universe 2023 and will now represent India at the 72nd Miss Universe pageant in November later in the year. Meanwhile, Sonal's journey holds diverse experience and knowledge, and currently, she is the founder of Unicas, a startup company. 

On their win, the two gorgeous beauty queens sat down with WION, discussing their empowering journey, reflecting on the challenges they faced, and revealing which beauty queen has inspired them through their journey

Here are edited excerpts from the interview:

Q: Now that both of you hold a title and a crown, how does it feel?

Sonal:  It is a dream come true but I feel like a lot more than that. We are not living our dreams, but so many other people's dreams. It's a very overwhelming feeling.

Shweta: For me, getting this crown on my head feels like the top of the world. It was a very unreal movement for me, and I felt very grateful at that point of time. I felt very emotional because I have been manifesting this for a very long time. So, it was a dream come true moment for me, and I am still not out of that moment.

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Q: Shweta Sharda, what was going on in your mind when the winner was going to be announced?

Shweta: When we were very close to getting crowned for LIVA Miss Diva Universe 2023, I was just praying with my eyes closed.

I was just taking Ganpati Bappa's name. I was just saying 'Ganpati Bappa, I have worked really hard for this, and I have always manifested that this will be on my head. I have been very true to myself and to my journey.' I have manifested this so many times, but you know that feeling, my eyes were closed, remembering all the sacrifices I have done to be there. So, I was manifesting that it would be my name....so when they announced that the winner is Shweta Sharda...It was unreal and those emotions were so beautiful that I just can't explain this in words.

Q: Shweta, now that you will be representing India at the 72nd Miss Universe pageant in November this year, what do you have in your mind when you think about it? Are you hopeful of bringing the crown home this year?

Shweta: I think representing our nation and country on an international stage is the dream of a million people out there, and if I have gotten the chance to do that, I'm not going to leave any stone unturned in my preparations. I'm going to give my best. I'm going to give all out, I'm going to put in all my hard work this time because now it's just not about me, it's about the country. It's not just about wearing a crown and being a beauty queen, it's about justifying the position that you are in your life.

Q: There is a long journey until the final day, what challenges have both of you faced during the whole process?

Shweta: I have encountered a lot of challenges because I have been living a very different life before this pageant. I come from a dancing background I have a different lifestyle and different times to do things. But in pageants, you need to be very disciplined, and you have to live a very healthy life because you will be the one who will be influencing all the youth out there. 

Also, I had this fear of speaking in public, I have overcome that fear, and right now I think I'm ready to inspire the youth and the universe to live their lives with purpose and chase their dreams carelessly, just like I did for believing myself.

Sonal: I think I kind of trusted the process. I think the journey also sees a lot of criticism as to like what other people might think of you. I think a big challenge is also to let go of all these inhibitions about myself about what people are saying and just trust the process. I think we are a testimony to that, but like it is worth it, it pays off.

Q: Is there an Indian beauty queen you guys adore?

Sonal: My constant favourite has to be Priyanka Chopra. I relate to her 100%, and I'm sure the millions of girls out there do too. She has really made us proud of being an Indian.

Shweta: I think I'll go with Priyanka for obvious reasons. She has made us proud and also because, not only in pageants but also in Bollywood, the kind of roles she has played are very inspiring, like Mary Kom. I'm really inspired by the role she has played so brilliantly, so I think I look up to her a lot.

Q: People tend to associate beauty pageants with just showcasing beauty. Do you echo that sentiment?

Shweta: I have a different perspective on it. I know beauty pageants have faced a lot of criticism.  But according to me, it's all about empowering women and amplifying your true voices to the issues that need to get highlighted. I think it's about empowering each other or stepping towards more exclusive and progressive goals. So, for me, this could look very different. 

Sonal: Pageants come off as vain because you only see one aspect of it until you experience what it has for you. I feel like when someone actually genuinely goes through that journey, they see that to be on that stage to represent a country like India, it takes guts. It always takes guts to glory, and you have to work on yourself, not just on beauty but so much of yourself, to become resilient, mentally strong and emotionally ready. I think it's the whole journey, and that's when you know that when you look at a beauty queen, you feel inspired because you see how much they've worked on themselves to stand where they are today.

Q: Fellow beauty queen and Miss Universe winner Harnaaz Sandhu faced body shaming after she won the crown. People tend to associate beauty pageants with selective imagery of beauty, where should we draw the line?

Sonal: Harnaaz is someone who is very close to my heart. I participated back in 2021 and I saw her with me in that journey and I saw the woman she is. I feel you have to draw a line when it comes to respecting somebody's personal life and their choices. She has been doing everything it takes to make India proud, regardless of weight gain, and there are always some of the other issues that people face; a lot of them don't get shot on camera, but some do.

I don't think that gives people who you know, should get around to judging someone too quickly. Harnaaz, when today she stands in front of the camera, when she stands at a press conference, or when she represents India, no matter where she goes, every Indian is filled with pride because of how she carries herself; it's grace that matters, and that is what we are standing here for.

Q: What's your message for the young girls who aspire to follow your journeys?

Shweta: One advice I would want to give the younger generation of women out there is to be themselves, just to be authentic, to be confident and not to hesitate to take that first step. That courageous step that they will take, can create the path towards success and greatness. Don't hesitate to take that one step. I know it's going to be difficult in the beginning, but I'm sure the ending will be according to your vision.

I would like to tell them to be authentic, to speak their heart out in front of the people, to take courageous steps towards success, and just to believe in themselves because, as I have done, I have this crown on my head just by believing in myself, so if I can do it, they can do it too.

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