Miss World is back in India after 28 years, but the world has since changed

In the interim, the world has changed, as has the concept of beauty

Not a single contestant set foot on stage. Not one of them sashayed around in an evening gown, nor posed for a swimsuit round. There were no video cameras to capture their graceful moves or their bedazzling smiles.

“The first Femina Miss India contest was not a public event; it was a photographic competition,” recalls Meher Castelino.

This was in 1964, and Castelino, who had just graduated from Lawrence School, Lovedale, Tamil Nadu, was among 500 women who had sent their photographs to Femina.

Ten were shortlisted for a 30-minute interview with the Femina editor, during which they were assessed