Gul Panag on why Arundhati Roy continues to be an inspiration for her. (Source: Gul Panag/Instagram) Gul Panag, former Miss India 1999 winner, has always been known for her stoic attitude. Reminiscing about her Miss India days, she recently shared a throwback video in which she can be seen responding to a question about which woman achiever’s shoes she would like to step in if given a choice. Panag, who is known to be vocal about a lot of issues that women face, gave an interesting response.
The options before her were Sonia Gandhi, J Jayalalitha, or Arundhati Roy.
Without any hesitation, Panag named author Arundhati Roy.
“Because to me, this woman represents the woman of the new millennium. A woman with a vision, and a woman who has made a successful contribution to society as a mother, as a daughter, as a wife, and most importantly, as a human being,” she responded amidst roaring applause from the audience which included actor-judge Karisma Kapoor.
Sharing the clip on her Instagram page, 22 years later, Panag, 44, said, “I’d probably give the same answer today. I sound a lot more confident than I was. Grateful for this incredible journey.”
She was also crowned Miss Beautiful Smile at the Miss India pageant 1999, and she went on to represent India at the Miss Universe 1999 pageant.
Using her celebrity status, Panag has always emphasised the need for women to be strong in a male-dominated society and has been advocating for breaking gender stereotypes in our day-to-day lives.
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