It's been a tough climb for the girl from Hyderabad. But beauty, brains, and loads of confidence have seen her walk away with the Miss World crown.

By Anupama Chopra and Amarnath K. Menon with Robin Abreu

The jury was still out. But Diana Hayden was already going over her acceptance speech and the facial expressions to go with it. What made the dusky, long-legged, 24-year-old Hyderabad beauty so sure of coming home with the Miss World crown from Seychelles? Why, she'd even made a V for victory sign before she left India and told a designer that she'd be back with the crown -- and all that goes with it, starting with the $100,000 (over Rs 37 lakh) prize.

Well, it wasn't quite a little bird who told her. It was an astrologer in Delhi. Some months ago, Hayden, then Miss India and some pounds heavier, was getting herself outfitted at designer Ritu Kumar's boutique. A pundit who happened to be there just looked at her and said that she would soon become famous throughout the world: "Duniya mein naam roshan karne wali hai."

The pundit wasn't the only one who thought Hayden would go places. So did a customs official at Heathrow airport in London. When a journalist working for GQ magazine was passing through customs (the preliminary rounds of the contest are held in London), an official told him that he had just checked in 86 beauty queens. "Do you remember any?" the journalist asked. "Naaah ..." said the officer, "so many faces, who can recall them? But yes, Miss India was gorgeous." Diana Hayden, all 5 ft 8 inches of her, was making an impression long before the judging began.

It isn't just the vital statistics, the doe eyes, lustrous hair, the ability to spout W.B. Yeats at the drop of an award or even the cosmetic dentistry-enhanced smile which helped her walk away with almost all the laurels of the pageant (she even won the Miss Beachwear and Miss Photogenic awards).

It's her will to win. "What stood out was her ambition and drive," says designer Hemant Trivedi, one of the many Svengalis who transformed a slightly "podgy", almost your girl-next-door into a thing of beauty and poise. "I've spotted a lot of talent but I don't see that ambition in too many girls," he adds.

This was no made-in-heaven beauty, as was Miss World 1994 Aishwarya Rai. Hayden was given finishing touches on earth. "I've never seen such a dramatic change in anybody," says Kumar, who designed many of the outfits she wore in Seychelles. "She was like a tomboy in what I call window-cleaner clothes." In fact, she was one of the last women selected for the Miss India pageant. "She was a plain Jane, heavy around the hips, with little knowledge of fashion," says Trivedi.

The making of a beauty queen went more than skin deep. The Femina dream team, comprising printer and publisher Pradeep Guha, editor Sathya Saran, dermatologist Dr Jamuna Pai, Trivedi, fitness expert Mickey Mehta and choreographer Shiamak Davar worked their magic. Hayden was a willing student.

While Trivedi gave lessons on grooming and attitude -- instructions included "take a deep breath before you answer a question, use your smile but don't let your eyes crinkle up, don't make false promises" -- Mehta worked on the problematic heavy lower body. The regimen included a strict diet of methi in the morning and only liquids till noon. It helped Hayden win the Miss India crown.

Work-outs for the Miss World pageant started in late July. Mehta also did his "positive imagination experiences" with her. "I told her to attach herself to her work and detach herself from the results, and she actually did it. She was absolutely focused." Fifteen days before the contest, Hayden attended jazz workout classes at the Shiamak Davar Institute for Performing Arts in Mumbai. Recalls Davar: "She came for two-three hours a day. She had no ego at all. If I asked her to do something 10,000 times, she would."

Then there were the teeth. Cosmetic dentist Dr Bhoolabhai worked hard on giving her a "perfect copybook smile". "Diana's biggest problem was her protruding teeth," says the doctor. Finally, the dressing up. The designers too worked overtime. While Kumar did the casuals and some of the traditional attire, Trivedi, along with the Sheetal design team, did most of the formals -- and that famous crystal-studded swimsuit which won Hayden the beachwear round. For Hayden, wearing a swimsuit may have proved simpler than a sari. She had to be taught how to wear it properly. Hayden endured.

She has, ever since she was small. After a rather deprived childhood (see box), she left home as a teenager, penniless but determined. A serious accident and a detour into the world of modelling later, she found her feet in an event management company, Encore, in Bangalore. Soon, she had made a career out of careers. As a manager with bmg Crescendo in Mumbai, she was handling the professions of pop stars Anaida and Mehnaz among others. "She's a very helpful and serious person," says Anaida, "always willing to do that extra bit for us artistes."

True grit defines Hayden. "If she decided today that she wanted to climb Everest, she would," says Saran. Except that, for now, she'd hardly be doing her thing. Forget about marrying beau Mark Cohen, an Irishman who is a senior executive with a liquor multinational in Istanbul (he was there, supporting her discreetly in Seychelles). Forget about jeans and the grunge look. Or pigging out. The crown is a Faustian deal. "It looks very glamorous from the outside but for one year you are a virtual prisoner of the Morleys, the Miss World founders," says a designer. "You may be hosted and toasted by strangers, but it's like one year of sanyas."

Even if it's a gilded cage, Miss World sure knows it's worth it. Listen to this piece of conversation from the Diana Hayden Chat on the Internet last month. "Considering that you've done so many things in life, why did you need to participate in a beauty contest?" asks one Madeline Abelworth. Hayden's answer: "To win $100,000 and all the perks that come along with it. And the Miss World title as a platform to start off with. Is that reason enough?"

More than enough. Even grandfather Denzil Martins agrees. Listen to some more of the cyberchat. Asks "Judge Dredd": "Heard your grand-daddy is getting married." Replies Hayden: "She was his first girlfriend. They met now after 50 years. Both their spouses passed away, they fell in love again. They write love letters to each other and cry on the phone. They intend getting married after the Miss World contest."

And whenever grandpa ties the knots, he's already got his best wedding gift.

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