On the day for the 1994 Miss India pageant, nothing seemed to go right for Aishwarya. The swimsuit, her father's gift, simply disappeared and later, a valuable 'good luck' ring from her mother was misplaced by a friend whom she had given it for safekeeping. Then there was the much-publicised 'showdown' that took place backstage. According to Sushmita Sen, it began when the hair-dressers and make-up artists (who naturally knew Ash from her modelling days) spent all their time styling her and leaving the other girls waiting until 15 minutes before showtime. Angry and upset, Sushmita said she had an argument with The Times of India authorities and threatened to quit the pageant.