20-year-old Parvathy Omanakuttan is the winner of the Miss India 2008 contest. She was born in Changanassery, Kottayam, Kerala and now lives in India’s financial capital Mumbai.
Parvathy has completed her graduation in English Literature. Her other subjects included sociology and psychology. Parvathy Omanakuttan plans to study Psychology further, do modeling assignments, and work in films if she gets the opportunity.
Parvathy enjoys singing, reading, listening to music, and glass painting. She is very good at whistling and enjoys outdoor sports like badminton and swimming.
She is a good dancer, whose range includes traditional Indian dance and western forms like ballroom dancing.
Parvathy Omanakuttan has said that she loves her mother’s cooking, though she likes to sample cuisines from different parts of the world. Parvathy who is in South Africa right now, has even tried her hand at cooking Zuku dishes.
Parvathy’s motto “Dream with your eyes open” is inspired by a quote from former President of India, Dr Abjul Kalam that “Dreams are not what you see in your sleep, but dreams are that, which do not allow you to sleep.”
Parvathy is also the winner of other local pageants.
In 2005, she was declared the Miss Malayali 2005 winner and the Malayali Manka 2005 winner.
Parvathy Omanakuttan won the Navy Queen (Southern Naval Command, Cochin) in 2006. In 2006, she also won Miss SVKM (Sarva Vidyalaya Kelvani Mandal, Mumbai) 2006.
Parvathy was chosen as the Lions Club Dreamgirl 2007 and Navy Queen (Vizag) 2007.
In December 2007, Parvathy Omanakuttan was the winner of the first ever Pantaloons Femina Miss India South 2008. As a result of which, she made it to the top ten in the Miss India 2008 contest.
In the Miss India 2008 contest, she was the winner of titles like Miss Photogenic, Miss Personality & Miss Beautiful Hair, and Miss Best Smile.
During the contest, Parvathy was asked the question, “The rate of divorce in India is on a rise. What is the cause? Is western influence the cause or something else?”
She said in reply, “Divorces are not a result of western influence. At the end of the day, it is we who decide whose (sic) worth us. Marriage is not when one completes the other but is when both share their completeness.”
After winning the Miss India World 2008 pageant she said proudly, “I am the first Malayali to win a Miss India Contest.”
In the Miss World 2008 contest, Parvathy Omanakuttan has made it to the top ten, along with:
1. Kseniya Sukhinova of Russia
2. Iryna Zhuravaska of Ukraine
3. Espinoza Marroquin Ana Gabriela of Mexico
4. Tamara Almeida Silva of Brazil
5. Miss Tansey Coetzee of South Africa
6. Patricia Yurena Rodriguez Alonso of Spain
7. Hannely Zulami Quintero Ledezma of Venezuela
8. Danielle Castano of Philippines
9. Miss Zuzana Jandova of the Czech Republic
10. Merica Lane Lindell of United States
Miss India World 2008 Parvathy Omanakuttan made it to the top ten of the Miss World 2008 Beach beauty contest, which was won by Espinoza Marroquin Ana Gabriela, Miss Mexico 2008.
Parvathy was the 2nd runner-up in the Miss World Top Model contest that was held on December 3, 2008.
The last time India won the Miss World title was in 2000 when Priyanka Chopra was declared the Miss World 2008 winner.
In the year before that, Yukta Mookhey won the Miss World 1999 title. The first ever Indian to win the Miss World 2008 title was Reita Faria in 1966. Aftet that Aishwarya Rai and Diana Hayden were declared the Miss World winners in 1994 and 1997, respectively.
Parvathy Omanakuttan is enjoying her time in South Africa. She had gone on a safari in Limpopo and said in an interview to South Africa’s The Times, “We got to live in a typical tribal hut, which was an amazing experience. The huts were made in such a way that we were warm. There were no lights or air conditioners, but we felt at home… I’m a nature freak.”