Diana Hayden not an Indian beauty, Aishwarya Rai is, says Tripura CM Biplab Deb

Aishwarya Rai represents Indian beauty but Diana Hayden doesn’t, said Tripura chief minister Biplab Deb on Thursday, 10 days after his statement that internet existed in India thousands of years ago drew ridicule.

Deb was at at a design workshop on handlooms in Agartala when he said Indian beauty should have the characteristics of Lakshmi and Saraswati, the Hindu goddesses for wealth and education. Hayden lacked such “traits”, he said.

“Koi bhi aata hain to mil jata hain. Diana Hayden ko bhi mil jata hain (Anyone who enters beauty contests, gets a crown. Even Diana Hayden got it),” he said.

Hayden won the Miss World pageant in 1999. Rai became Miss World in 1994.

Women started using cosmetics after seeing Indians win international beauty pageants sponsored by international companies, he said.

Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb . ( Sushil Kumar/HT PHOTO )

“International companies made prior plans to take over our Indian traditional products and consequently, we got Miss World from India five times. Any Indian contestant seemed to be able to take part in the Miss World contest and win the crown, even Diana Hayden got it. I am not criticising her but didn’t find traits of Indian beauty in her,” he said.

The frequency of Indians winning Miss World contests dipped after international companies became successful in the Indian cosmetics market, Deb said.