Iona Pinto

Iona Pinto (17 June 1936 –11 November 2012) was an Indian model and beauty queen from Maharashtra, India. Pinto was the first crossover pageant delegate from India.[1]

Iona Pinto
Born(1936-06-17)17 June 1936
New Delhi, British India
Died11 November 2012(2012-11-11) (aged 76)
Angeles, Pampanga, Philippines
OccupationBank teller
Beauty queen
Model
Height1.76 m (5 ft 9 1⁄2 in)
Title• Eve's Weekly Miss India International 1960
• Eve's Weekly Miss India World 1960
Beauty pageant titleholder
Major
competition(s)		• Eve's Weekly Miss India 1960
(Winner)

• Miss International 1960
(1st Runner Up)

• Miss World 1960
(Unplaced)

Career and pageantry

Pinto is from Maharashtra, India. During her college years, Pinto worked as a bank teller at the Bank of America branch in Mumbai. She was encouraged to join a beauty pageant by her gay male cousin who was working as a salon hairstylist in Mumbai. She then participated in the Miss India pageant of Eve's Weekly, a Mumbai-based magazine that held its first pageant in the country in 1960.

She was crowned the first Eve's Weekly Miss India and represented India at the first edition of Miss International in 1960. She was declared first runner up at half a point (0.5) score margin, thereby conceding victory to Stella Araneta of Colombia.[2] At this pageant, Pinto received a grand consolation prize of US$4,000 and the Miss International trophy (there was no consolation crown or novelty sash during this time).

Pinto was sent again to represent India at the Miss World 1960 pageant but remained unplaced.[3] After Miss World she returned to India and did modeling work. Later on, she migrated to the Philippines for new work and to start a family.

Personal life

Pinto was married to Filipino national Allan Vaz. She had five children.

Death

Pinto died of breast cancer on 11 November 2012 in Angeles, Pampanga, Philippines. A Catholic Mass was offered in her memory at the Cathedral of the Holy Name, Mumbai.

References
  2. "Miss International 1960- Pageantopolis". Archived from the original on 27 December 2011. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
  3. "Miss World 1960- Pageantopolis". Archived from the original on 14 May 2014. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
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