Miss Universe India is back at her Google desk job

Just weeks ago, Umanga Kumawat was walking under the lights at the Miss Universe India 2026 national finale in Jaipur. This week, she's back to stand-ups, cloud infrastructure, and a badge swipe into Google's Bengaluru campus.

From a sash in Jaipur to a laptop in Bengaluru, Umanga Kumawat is balancing pageantry with her tech career

Umanga, who represented Madhya Pradesh at the August 23 finale, finished in the Top 20 of a field of 52 contestants — a respectable showing at a pageant ultimately won by Kerala's Kaziah Liz Mejia. But rather than parlaying her newfound visibility into a full-time run at the glamour circuit, Umanga went back to work.

On September 14, she posted a minute-long "day in my life" video to social media, and it's been doing the rounds ever since. The video follows her through a typical weekday: she's up and dressed by around 9.30 am, laptop sleeve and backpack in tow, headed into the office. Before she even logs on, she swings by Google's on-campus wellness centre for a treadmill session and a few stretches. Then it's the familiar rhythm of any corporate job — emails, meetings, a lunch break, a coffee run, and hours at her desk.

By profession, Umanga works in cloud engineering, with reported interests spanning cloud computing, generative AI, and application development, alongside a technical background in computer science and networks. It's a résumé that sits a little oddly next to a sash and crown and that's exactly why her story has struck a chord.

Pageants have long been stereotyped as a launchpad exclusively for careers in modelling, acting, or media. Umanga's post is a rebuttal to that idea. Increasingly, contestants are stepping onto pageant stages from law firms, hospitals, classrooms, and — in her case — tech campuses, treating the competition less as a career pivot and more as a personal milestone: a shot at public speaking, self-confidence, and a bit of the spotlight, before clocking back in on Monday.

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