She was crowned as the Miss World Tourism 2005 at Miri, Sarawak state of Malaysia. She was a noteworthy former Miss India contestant. She is the first Indian to have claimed Miss World Tourism title. She was born in Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh, India , originally hailing from the state of Uttar Pradesh/UP. Her father is a police inspector, and she has one elder brother and two younger sisters. She studied at DPS, Noida and then Philosophy honors at Gargi College in New Delhi. Sonal stands 5 feet and 8 inches (173 cm).