Dia Mirza

Dia Mirza was born on 9 December 1981 in Hyderabad in an interracial, German and Bengali family. Her father Frank Handrich was a German graphic and industrial fair designer, architect, artist and interior designer and mother Deepa excelled in interior and landscape design. She now volunteers as a counsellor at addiction centres. As a student of J Krishnamurti School, Dia learnt early to never conform to the limitations of the conditioned mind. Her education and family values made her world- view naturally inclusive and composite. The hunger to chase every dream was encouraged at her school and at home. That is why at the age of 16, while she was still a student, Dia began working towards financial independence. Modelling offers poured in and after endorsing brands like Lipton and Walls Ice Cream, she decided to dive deeper and participate in a beauty pageant that would transform her fate. The Miss India Contest in 2000 made her a household name and then she won the Miss Asia-Pacifi