Vasuki Sunkavalli

Vasuki Sunkavalli represented India at the 2011 Miss Universe pageant held in Sao Paolo, Brazil, on 12 September. Vasuki, the oldest contestant in the competition at 27, failed to make it to the top 16.Earlier, the law graduate was disappointed as she could not pose in her national costume because it was not delivered on time.[caption id="attachment_82577" align="alignleft" width="380" caption="India's Vasuki Sunkavalli competes in the evening gown presentation show at the 2011 Miss Universe pageant held in Sao Paolo, Brazil. Ho New/Reuters"][/caption]Born on 17 August 1984 in Secunderabad, Andhra Pradesh, in a Telgu Hindu family, Vasuki played basketball at the national level for two years.In 2002, she enrolled at the Symbiosis International University in Pune for her LLB and in 2009 joined the New York University School of Law where she studied International Law and Human Rights.Upon graduating from NYU, she interned at the Human Rights Watch in NYC where she worked on reports regarding illegal police detentions and children’s rights. Vasuki later worked as the Third Committee’s Research Assistant at the United Nations’ Permanent Mission of India. While there, she concentrated on human rights and worked on various issues under the purview of human rights, mainly Third Committee matters at the United Nations General Assembly.She also drafted several reports which were sent to the Ministry of External Affairs Office in New Delhi. Vasuki also drafted statements which were delivered by India’s delegates at the General Assembly meetings.In 2007, Vasuki made her entry into the Indian fashion industry when she walked the ramp at Wills India Fashion Week. For the next two years, she participated in various shows for many of India’s top designers and modeled for brands based in Mumbai, New Delhi, Jaipur, and Kolkata.On 15 July 2011, Vasuki was crowned Miss Universe India in Mumbai. Unfortunately, she couldn't bag the big crown in Brazil. Model-turned-actor Lara Dutta was the last to win the crown for India in 2000.