Swimsuit

9 Captivating SI Swim Photos of Sonia Dara in India

The then-Harvard student posed among beautiful architecture for her feature.

Martha Zaytoun

Sonia Dara was photographed by Riccardo Tinelli in Rajasthan, India.

The 2010 SI Swimsuit rookie class saw the likes of Chrissy Teigen and Genevieve Morton, both known names in the modeling industry at the time and now. But it also included some new faces, including Sonia Dara, and a few new places. 

Dara made her brand debut in 2010 in Rajasthan, India, alongside photographer Riccardo Tinelli. At the time, she was a sophomore in college, studying economics at Harvard University. Though not a model known in the industry, or a model at all, Dara became a SI Swimsuit star that day, a distinction she will have forever.

And, though she confessed that those in her life would be surprised at the feature given her typical garb and aesthetic, the photos speak to her beauty and natural skill in front of a lens.

“My classmates at Harvard will flip when they see this,” she remarked to the SI Swimsuit team. “I’m usually in jeans, a chunky sweater, a ponytail and glasses, with my head buried in a book. The people who know me would have to seriously use their imaginations to picture me as any kind of model.”

She had her doubts about how her peers would react to seeing her as a model, but we never doubted her for a moment. Dara posed for a stunning series of photos in Northern India, among beautiful architecture and vibrantly clothed people.

Below are nine of our favorite photos from the unique feature in India.

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Martha Zaytoun
MARTHA ZAYTOUN

Martha Zaytoun is a writer on the Lifestyle and Trending News team for SI Swimsuit. Before joining SI Swimsuit in 2023, she worked on the editorial board of the University of Notre Dame’s student magazine and on the editorial team at Chapel Hill, Durham and Chatham Magazines in North Carolina. When not working, Zaytoun loves to watercolor and oil paint, run and water ski. She is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and a huge Fighting Irish fan.

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