22-year-old Manika Vishwakarma is the Rajasthan girl who will represent India at the 74th Miss Universe 2025 pageant in Thailand.
Her national title as Miss Universe India 2025 carries both prestige and expectation, but a recent fashion maneuver at a gala event has further fired up attention.
Manika is from Sri Ganganagar in Rajasthan, and she is based in Delhi, where she finished her final year in Political Science and Economics. On 18 August 2025 in Jaipur, Manika was crowned Miss Universe India 2025, supplanting the 2024 titleholder Rhea Singha. Her victory came after being selected out of 48 national finalists in the event.
Her profile is more than pageantry: she is a trained classical dancer, a painter whose work is recognized by the Lalit Kala Akademi and the JJ School of Arts, and has founded “Neuronova”, an initiative advocating awareness of neuro divergence. She now prepares to carry the hopes of India onto the global stage, with the international competition scheduled to take place in Nonthaburi, Thailand, on 21 November 2025.
A Gala Dress, a Last-Minute Decision:
At one of the early events of the global pageant circuit — the gala dinner held at the Kora Beach Resort in Phuket — Manika caught everybody’s eye with a see-through, bedazzled gown studded with multi-coloured crystals and sequins. What generated even more interest was that it was reported this outfit had been a last-minute decision.
On the video shared on Instagram by social-media user Adam Genato on 8 November, he said: “Did you know India’s gown was a last-minute choice?
In summary,Manika Vishwakarma, officially India’s face at the Miss Universe 2025 competition, offers much more than just pageantry. Her scholarship, arts, advocacy anchor her role in a larger narrative. The recent fashion turn of her last minute gown choice at a global gala provided the moment of spotlight that underlined poise under pressure and earned her digital acclaim.
But, as November draws closer in Thailand, all eyes will be on how she navigates the international stage-not just in evening-gown rounds or interviews, but how she projects her voice, her values, and adaptability.
