Kanishtha Dhankar - Miss India 2011

Kanishtha was born on 21 September 1988 in Mumbai, India to Raj Singh Dhankhar, a Commodore in the Indian Navy, and Kusum Dhankhar. She is second of their three children. 

Her father was posted in Mumbai at the time of her birth. Her mother is a school teacher and a home maker and has worked extensively with the Naval Wives Welfare Association in Mumbai. Her ancestral family is from Haryana. Kanishtha was raised in Colaba, Mumbai. She pursued a Bachelor of Commerce degree in H.R. College of Commerce and Economics in Mumbai.