By Jaya Ramesh (Interview facilitated by Chris Amy Vaz)

She came she saw and she conquered...

Beauty pageants always come with a double frill – not just stand-alone intrinsic beauty in the entirety of its splendor but embroidered with deep values like compassion, caring, sharing and charity. Everyone who knows Sarah Jane will vouch for her humility which is deeply embedded in her, a true part of her ethos and that's what makes her beautifully humane.

Miss India-Universe Puja Gupta, Miss India-World Sarah Jane Dias, Miss India-Earth Pooja Chitgopekar

Sarah Jane Dias, the vivacious beauty charmed her way through the competition on 8th April 2007, a cozy Easter Sunday evening in Mumbai & went on to win the coveted Pantaloon Femina Miss India-World 2007 Beauty Pageant. Truly a winner every inch of the way, Sarah Jane stood tall throughout and captivated the nine judges and the audience alike with a telling combination of her beauty, poise and intelligence.

A Dream Come True

Speaking to Chris Amy Vaz, Sarah Jane said that ever since her dream of winning the Miss India crown has come true, she has been on cloud nine and since then, the spectrum of her life has taken on a vivid hue. Confidence levels have never been higher and she now aspires to win the upcoming Miss World Title 2007 for India, in November. "Collective expectations from numerous fronts are indeed high," sighs this winsome lass as she adds that the onus is on her, since India has not won a title for quite a while now. But not one to be deterred, she is determined to work hard towards the pinnacle that she has firmly set her sights on and hopes that she doesn't disappoint all those who have placed their faith in her. She agrees that she is not perfect as she'd like to be, but interjects that with the charm that she possesses and gritty resolve, she will leave no stone unturned for a go at the crown. 

When asked about her preparations for the pageant, she said, at the moment she is tied up on both fronts - professional and personal. In essence, as part of the preparations for the pageant, she has a rigid schedule which comprises of her training sessions, work-outs etc. Her fitness trainer, Deanne Pandey and dietician Pooja Makhija will be the ones grooming her for the contest. Well known designer, Hemant Trivedi, will be designing her costume for the finale.  Times of India will be the main sponsor and shall be taking care of all her itineraries and arrangements right through the duration of the pageant.

Sarah Jane opines that there is a wrong notion with the populace that once the crown is won, the beauty pageant winner will be out of bounds for the common man. Sarah Jane wants to prove that baseless notion wrong! She says that right from the time she made her public debut being a VJ for Channel V, she has always been close to her fans and will continue to do so, no matter  what dizzying heights her career catapults her to.
 
Her Path to Stardom

Sarah Jane was born in Mumbai and at the age of seven moved to Oman where she did her schooling till her tenth standard at Wadi Kabir Indian School, and her next two years at Indian School, Muscat.

Baby Sarah!

Right through her schooling, her life brimmed with plentiful of extra curricular activities and she excelled in all of them. Sarah Jane who is a gregarious, friendly and a humble girl is very creative and is a lover of music and art. She had always dreamt of winning the Miss India crown and she started her quest by winning the Miss India Oman Crown at the age of 14. Even at that young age she exuded verve, confidence and poise.  Once Sarah Jane stepped into the exclusivity of that domain, there was no looking back. To pursue her dream she moved to Mumbai and completed her graduation at St. Andrew's college, Bandra, where she majored in Sociology.

Crowning of Miss India Oman

Beauty Lies in the Eyes of the Beholder

At the age of 21 Sarah won a TV Talent Hunt Contest which enabled her to host a Channel V show. She was first noticed as a guest on the travel show 'On the Run' and later became the host of 'Get Gorgeous', a super-model hunt on Channel V.  As a VJ she was immensely popular among the younger crowd.

Apart from VJing, Sarah Jane was and is also a successful model. Some of her varied modeling assignments are for Sun silk, Clinic All Clear, L'Oreal etc. She has also modeled for Tanishq Jewellery where she oozes charm and looks as alluring as the jewelry she adorns.        

A Sweet Encounter with Sarah's Parents in Muscat

Team Mangalorean met Sarah Jane's parents, Mr. Eustace Dias, a marketing manager with Oilfields Supply Centre and Mrs. Yolanda Dias and her sibling, Elena Rose, at their residence at Wadi Kabir, Muscat. Both her parents are the epitome of warmth, humility and hospitality. Their virtues have been handed over to Sarah Jane as a part of their legacy in life. Immense pride and happiness is writ large on their faces as they speak of their daughter's accomplishments. They admitted that Sarah's announcement of her quitting her permanent job at Channel V took them initially by surprise. However, later they were convinced with the wisdom behind her move, as a strong will honed to excel in whatever she aspires to do has been her forte. They held her in high esteem and were very confident and supportive of her decision.

Your correspondent with Sarah's parents

Although it was only Sarah Jane's mother who could attend the pageant, Mr. Dais and Elena Rose were notified on a regular basis by sms and telephone calls about all that was happening on stage. Mrs. Dias recollects Sarah's first words when she met her backstage after winning the crown; 'Mama I won!' She lets it out that she could not control the deluge of tears when she saw her daughter crying and fondly adds that those were tears of joy. She said Sarah Jane exuded confidence right through the contest and one could tell by her mind-set that she was all out to be a winner.

We are proud of Sarah!

Sarah's sister, Elena says that she looks upon her as her friend, philosopher and guide and is praying fervently that her sister will go on to win the Miss World title.

Sarah Jane's Circle of Friends and Well Wishers

Her friends, Lorraine Smith, Camy Dais, Diane McGowan and Sarah Jane go back a long way with her and formed a quartet wherever they went. Team Mangalorean met with Lorraine and Camy who said they had screamed and jumped with joy when they heard that their best friend had won the Miss India World title.  They said they were really happy for her as she deserved to win. Wishing her success they hoped and prayed that she would walk away with the Miss World crown.

Sarah's friends Camy & Lorraine

Speaking to Team Mangalorean, Mr. Leo Lobo, the principal of Wadi Kabir Indian School expressed his happiness and congratulated Sarah Jane and her family. On behalf of the school and the management he wished Sarah Jane all the best in her journey towards further stardom as she prepares for the Miss World Contest. 

Mr. Leo Lobo

Mangalorean Connection

There is something about Sarah Jane that would make all Mangaloreans proud. She was born into an East Indian family but Mangalorean.com has traced back her roots on her mother's side to Mangalore. Sarah's maternal grandmother, Lizzie Vaz, was from Valencia, Mangalore who then moved to Mumbai at the age of five after the demise of her father. After the iconic status of another beauty from Mangalore, Aishwaria Rai/Bachchan, we hope and pray that this beauty from our land back home will win our country more accolades and fame.

Wedding photograph of Sarah's maternal grandmother, Lizzie Vaz

Sarah's message to Mangalorean.com readers

Sarah who is an inspiration to all aspiring youth has a very special message for all Mangalorean.com readers - "BELIEVE in God, your family and yourself.  If you don't, you lose focus and will never be able to chase your dream. I believed in myself and God and today with the support of my family I have fulfilled my dream."

Upcoming Itinerary

Her maiden overseas post-pageant trip will be to Bahrain where she will be crowning the May Queen on the 31st of May. Subsequently, her primary focus will be on her definitive goal, a once in a lifetime go at the Miss World 2007 title.

Yet another request to Chris Amy Vaz was that she needs prayers to help her accomplish what she has set out to do. So dear friends, let us keep Sarah Jane in our prayers and pray the Lord to ease her way so that all success may come her way.

John Keats aptly summarized way back in the 19th century, something which still holds good in this one -

"Beauty is truth; truth is beauty – that is all.
Ye know on earth and all ye need to know"-
"A thing of beauty is a joy forever"-

That is Sarah Jane Dias, Miss India World 2007!

Three winners with Ms Suri (Miss India World 2006)

Sarah with sister and parents

A Holiday... ..From the family album

From the archives

Sarah Jane Dias Crowned Miss India World