This Wednesday, Manasa Varanasi was crowned Miss India 2020. Yet it is the runner-up Manya Singh who has been hitting the headlines more. The reason being Manya from Uttar Pradesh did not have the privilege as many of us. She was born in Kushinagar to an auto-rickshaw driver and once worked as a domestic help to make a living.
The Miss India Runner up revealed that she had to spend many nights without food and sleep. She could not even attend school as she had to start working in her teenage. She would walk miles just to save money.
“All the clothes I had were hand-me-downs. I yearned for books, but luck wasn’t in my favor. Eventually, my parents mortgaged whatever little jewelry my mother had to ensure that I paid my exam fees in order to earn a degree,”
she shared at the pageant in December 2020, adding how her mother suffered a lot to provide for her.
After all the sacrifices that her parents made, Manya still wanted more. She wanted to make a mark and so she fled home at the age of 14.
“I somehow managed to complete my studies in the day, became a dishwasher in the evening, and worked at a call center at night. I’ve walked hours to reach places so I could save the rickshaw fare.”
She believes that education is the strongest weapon one can have with themselves at all times. Doted on by her mother, she has won the Best Student award during her HSC. She was even neglected by her classmates for being an auto driver’s daughter, quoted VLCC.
“My blood, sweat, and tears have amalgamated into the courage to pursue my dreams,” she said in her Instagram post. “I am here today at the VLCC Femina Miss India 2020 stage to uplift my father, my mother, and my young brother and to show the world that all is possible if you are committed to yourself and your dreams,” she emphasized at the pageant.