Rijul Maini Crowned Miss India USA 2023

By Awesome TV

Rijul Maini, a 25-year-old resident of Michigan, was recently crowned Miss India USA 2023 at a prestigious event held in Fords, New Jersey. Apart from being a medical student, Rijul is also an artist and a model. She has made history at her medical school by becoming the first Indian woman to be elected as the class president. Rijul’s ultimate goal is to become a surgeon and make a positive impact on her community, with a specific focus on women’s financial independence and literacy.

Rijul Maini crowned Miss India USA,  Sneha Nambiar crowned Mrs. India USA, Saloni Rammohan crowned Miss teen India USA.

In the same pageant, Sneha Nambiar from Massachusetts was crowned Mrs. India USA, while Saloni Rammohan from Pennsylvania was crowned Miss Teen India USA. This year’s pageant marked its 41st edition, with 57 contestants from 25 different states participating in three categories – Miss India USA, Mrs. India USA, and Miss Teen India USA. All the winners from these categories will receive complimentary tickets to Mumbai to take part in worldwide pageants organized by the same organization in October.

The three winners – Rijul Maini, Sneha Nambiar, Saloni Rammohan flanked by Neelam and Dharmatma Saran Chief Organizer

The Miss India USA pageant was started 41 years ago by Dharmatma and Neelam Saran, prominent Indian Americans based in New York. It is the longest-running Indian pageant outside of India. This year’s pageant was presented by TV Asia and Royal Albert’s Palace, and it witnessed a full house with over 500 people in attendance.

The judging panel consisted of renowned personalities such as Hollywood fashion designer Shekhar Rahate, Punjabi and Bollywood actor Monica Gill (also Miss India Worldwide 2014), model Khushi Patel (Miss India Worldwide 2022), Mrs. India Worldwide 2017 and interior designer Sarita Rinki Pattnaik, and former Miss India New York and philanthropist Falguni Trivedi. Nishi Bahl, the State Director of New York, was honored with the State Director of the Year Award.

Judges (from L to R) Falguni Trivedi, Shekhar Rahate, Sarita Rinki Pattnaik, Khushi Patel and Monica Gill

Winners of the Miss India USA pageant have gone on to achieve success in various fields such as Bollywood and Hollywood movies, as well as the business world. Bela Bajaria, a former Miss India USA and Miss India Worldwide, was recently recognized by Forbes Magazine as one of the 100 most powerful women in the world, alongside Vice President Kamala Harris.

The pageant commenced with a spectacular opening dance number performed by all the contestants, choreographed by Shilpa Jhurani. Dharmatma Saran mentioned that in addition to Bollywood dance and songs, the contestants also delivered speeches, engaged in motivational speaking, mono acting, singing popular American songs, hip hop, and showcased their painting skills. Bollywood actor Abhimanyu Dassani also made a special appearance as a guest. One of the highlights of the pageant was the participation of 62-year-old Sunita Malhotra from Massachusetts in the Mrs. India USA category, who wowed the audience with her Bollywood dance performance and received the well-deserved Mrs. People’s Choice Award.

Dharmatma Saran, the Chairman and Founder of the pageant, expressed his pride in being able to instill Indian values, traditions, cultures, and performing arts among Indian-origin youth worldwide, with their motto being “bringing India closer.”

The emcees for the event were Ayushi Chhabra, Mrs. India Nigeria 2017 and TV and Hollywood actor, and Anuradha Maharaj, Miss India Trinidad 2011. The audio-visual was provided by Media Logistics, while Nishi Bahl served as the choreographer, with assistance from Shilpa Jhurani.

Awesome TV was proud to support Dharmatma and Neelam Saran of Worldwide Pageants.