La Marts Lucknow girl Pankhuri Gidwani, fbb Femina Miss Grand India 2016, preparing for her Boards in Lucknow (BCCL)

Pankhuri after she was crowned at the fbb Femina Miss India 2016 finale in Mumbai

UP girl Pankhuri Gidwani was supposed to give her Class XII Board exams last year, but she got good results in another competition she chose over those – the Miss India pageant. Having won the coveted title of fbb Femina Miss Grand India 2016 , Pankhuri couldn’t give her Class XII Board exams due to the contest, but this year, the pretty lass is back home in Lucknow, appearing for her remaining exams like any other student of La Martiniere Girls’ College . “Last year, I could only appear for my Language and Literature exams, but this year, I am appearing for all my exams,” says Pankhuri, adding, “I still have to give the Economics and Environmental Science papers .”Ask her how other students react to a Miss India writing her exams with them, and she laughs and says, “It is perfectly normal for me to appear for my Boards, but apparently, it’s not the same for others in the exam hall.”La Marts Lucknow girl Pankhuri Gidwani, fbb Femina Miss Grand India 2016, preparing for her Boards in Lucknow (BCCL)Pankhuri adds, “My cousin is in Class XII in the same school. She is a year younger to me. But since childhood, she always wanted the two of us to be in the same class. And now, her wish has finally been granted with the two of us appearing for the exams together. She had already announced in school that I will be appearing for the Boards with her. After my cousin’s announcement, others girls also told their parents, ‘Aapko pata hai hum Miss India ke saath Boards denge.’ I was feeling really awkward with everyone staring at me during the exams initially, but now it’s fine.”With curious girls all around her, Pankhuri gets questions like ‘when are you making your Bollywood debut?’ “For the exam, I generally do a last-minute revision. But now, there are girls who ask me all sorts of questions,” says Pankhuri. She adds, “When I appeared for my first exam, everybody asked me how it felt to be back in my school uniform. I just told them that I have got an extra year of school and it feels nice. During one of my pre-Board exams, I went and sat for the exam quietly, yet one of my teachers came and asked loudly, ‘Is Pankhuri here?’ And everybody turned to look at me. Such attention is embarrassing!”Pankhuri after she was crowned at the fbb Femina Miss India 2016 finale in MumbaiThanks to her teachers, Pankhuri says she is prepared for the exams. “I have been in Lucknow since November. I went to school to meet my teachers and they have all been helping me prepare. I have actually gone to my history teacher’s home for assistance,” says Pankhuri, who is already nervous about her results. "I’m sure my heart rate will go up before the results are out. I’ll start getting calls from relatives who would be eager to know ki kitne marks aaye Pankhuri ke.”And this isn’t the end of her studies, she says – she is looking forward to studying further. "After Class XII, I am planning to do my graduation in Media Studies and Performing Arts from Mumbai, as it will be easier for me to handle work along with studies there. I am also giving the entrance exams for colleges in Bengaluru and Pune. I am keeping my options open. I’d like to attend a regular college – these three years of life are special and will never come back. But yes, if I get really good TV or film projects, I may skip classes," says Pankhuri. She adds, “I have already been approached for many TV and film projects, but as of now, my focus is on studies. I’d like to begin with films, if possible, but I’ve kept my options open for TV too. I am open to a daily, but not the saas-bahu types," she says.