On February 10, the final of the 57th Miss India came to an end, with 23-year-old Manasha Varanasi taking the crown. However, the focus of attention is on the runner-up, Manya Singh.
The poor university was only 19 years old, and although she missed the championship, her arduous and inspirational struggle experience was like a live-action version of Cinderella. With the news of the award, Manya has become a social media hotspot.
Manya was born into a family of four in Kasiya Village, Golekpur Township, Uttar Pradesh, to a rickshaw driver, to a housewife mother, and a younger brother, whose meager income from her father's passengers was the family's only source of income.
The Manya Singers
Poverty has hung over Manya's life since she was born, and she had no opportunity to study, and she had to go out to work to support her family at a very young age. Recalling her childhood, Manya said: "All my clothes were made by myself, and I wanted to study, but I didn't have good luck. My mother sold all the valuable jewelry to pay my exam fees. In order to get my degree, my mother suffered a lot. Unable to pay the tuition fees, Manya completed her junior and senior high school studies only by taking the exams of each semester.
Manya with her father
Such a life allows Manya to experience the hardships of the people at the bottom and the decadent concept of patriarchy in poor areas. "Especially in the countryside, people don't have the freedom to choose what to wear and what to study," Manya said, "and others have told my parents that if the first child is a boy, life will be much easier." It pained me so much that I was determined to let my parents discover that their daughter was more capable than anyone else. I was determined to surpass myself. I realized that I had to be Miss India, and all my hardships, all my efforts, were moving in that direction. ”
When Manya tells her parents that she wants to be Miss India, they think she's crazy, and Manya's father says to her, "People like us don't deserve to dream, are you delusional about getting a crown?" ”
But Manya never forgot what kind of environment she was in, and never looked down on the courage she had accumulated in her heart. At the age of 14, Manya was determined to break free from the cobwebs of poverty and backwardness and go to Mumbai to fight for her dreams. She secretly bought a ticket and took a train from the town of Golekhpur to Mumbai.
Manya in her youth
"When a girl runs away, people meet to talk about you. This is not limited to Uttar Pradesh, it is true everywhere. Recalling that time, Manya said, "Of course, my parents were worried. When I called my father, he cried and asked me in a trembling voice what I was doing alone in Mumbai. But I had to run away from my hometown. ”
Manya did not become a duckweed wandering alone in Mumbai, and soon the whole family decided to come to Mumbai to fight with Manya, but the challenge of the big city was waiting for this girl from a remote rural area.
To cover college tuition, Manya found a part-time job at Pizza Hut, "I try to finish my studies during the day, go to Pizza Hut at night to mop the floor and wash dishes, and then I sleep in the staff storage room." At work, I observe how people behave, dress, and talk to each other. I worked there for a whole year and it was a rewarding learning experience for me. ”
Later, she was employed by a call center where Manya worked with words and voice. The call center work allowed Manya to continue her studies while correcting her accent and developing an optimistic personality that helped her run for Miss India.
After several failed attempts, she finally fulfilled her dream at the 57th Miss India Pageant. Manya said her journey was filled with constant insecurities, "and I'll keep myself calm and remind me that I've been through a lot of struggles, so this will also pass." My blood, sweat and tears fused together, condensed into the courage to pursue dreams, and with some incredible strength supported me to go further. ”
After winning the runner-up, Manya's alma mater, the Takul College of Science and Business in India, invited her to a ceremony. Unusually, Instead of riding a luxury car with her parents, Manya let her father ride a rickshaw to carry herself and her mother to the ceremony. The Indian lady in the tricycle, wearing a glittering crown and a gorgeous black dress, smiled proudly and affectionately, like Cinderella after her transformation, and was riding a pumpkin carriage to the ball.
Manya's "Miss India" journey has only just begun, and she says she wants to help india's low-income women find their way, which is related to the sexism she once faced. "I want to speak up for women who have been told they don't have a voice, especially in rural areas, where they've been treated so unfairly, and I want to change their lives."
(China-India Datong Network exclusive compilation)