Sushmita Sen says she was from Hindi medium school, ‘didn’t know much English’ when asked the Miss Universe question

Actor Sushmita Sen has revealed new details from the time she won the Miss Universe crown in 1994. She was the first Indian to bring home the title, followed by the likes of Yukta Mookhey, Lara Dutta and most recently, Harnaaz Sandhu. Sushmita has said in a new interview that she did not fully understand the final question that was asked of her during the ceremony. (Also read: When Sushmita Sen proudly introduced herself in ‘national costume’ at Miss Universe 1994. Watch)

In the final round, the actor was asked, “What for you is the essence of being a woman?” She replied saying, “Just being a woman is a gift of God that all of us must appreciate. The origin of a child is a mother, who is a woman. She shows a man what caring, sharing and loving is all about. That’s the essence of being a woman.”

In an interview to her daughter Alisah’s school magazine, she was asked if she would like to change anything about the answer after all these years. She said, “You know what I loved about that question and that answer as I’ve looked back at it for so many years is that they never asked what are the qualities of a woman or the attributes of a woman. They said, what is the essence of a woman?”

“And I was from a Hindi medium school, so I did not know that much English back in the day. I don’t know how I understood what essence meant and answered that question with such clarity and such experience, even though I lacked it 18, I think God sat on my tongue and said, let this be said because this is how you will choose to live your life. I stated that being born a woman is a great gift of God. I stand by that. Nothing has changed on that front. To be born a woman is something. It’s a great gift of God and we must all appreciate it. Which is true because life always deserves appreciation. A woman is not only the womb from which life comes, so she’s not only born to be a mother, but she’s also here to share and show the world what loving, caring and sharing is all about,” she said.

About making changes to her answer, she said, “There I spoke about showing it to a man. Why did I say that? It wasn’t a romantic line. It was to say that a mother gives birth to a generation of women and men. So the kind of sons we raise is also a part of our essence. And this is how it was an all encompassing answer. And I look back at it and I say, “My God, truly it is powerful to be a woman.” Would I add something? Today, after 28 years? If it would, it would be self discovery, a woman must not just have a journey on the outside. She must also discover who she is internally. That is the essence of a woman.”

Sushmita has two daughters–Renee and Alisah. She was recently seen in the second season of her popular show, Aarya.