How Manya Singh Beat Poverty And Donned The Miss India Runner-Up Crown In 2020
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Manya Omprakash Singh was born in the Kushinagar district of Uttar Pradesh. However, at the age of 14, Manya made a choice many young women would be too pertified to make. She chose to board a train from her tiny village and move to the starry-eyed city of Mumbai. A few months ago, this young beautiful girl took the stage at Femina Miss India and placed as the Runner-Up, earning her very own crown. To say her life wasn’t easy would be an understatement. Manya’s determination towards achieving her dreams and conquering the pageantry world while completing her education is something not many people can boast of. Especially, considering the hardships she had to face to reach her position. Here is her incredible story and how she overcame poverty to win the hearts of millions across the country:
Early Beginnings
Manya spoke about how she boarded a train to Mumbai at 14 and knew she had big dreams even then. She spoke about how the first thing she saw when she exited the train station was a Pizza parlor. Manya managed to convince the staff at the pizza parlor to hire her and even give her temporary accommodation. However, when she called her father to give him the good news two days later, he was heartbroken to know that she had to take up a job to support herself at such a young age. So Manya’s father decided that both him, his wife and his young son will move to Mumbai so that he could begin working as a Rickshaw driver and help support his daughter’s education.
Once her father moved to Mumbai and began working, he ensured that he enrolled his daughter in a good school in the city. Manya also added that she too began working part-time so she could attend her classes and help her family with expenses. Although she made around Rs. 15,000 a month through her part-time job, it was more than enough to keep her family afloat.
A Tryst With Destiny
When Manya was 15 years old, she watched the Miss India pageant for the first time. She spoke about how the first thing that went through her mind was how proud she would make her parents if she ever won the pageant. She also added that she came from an extremely patriarchal family and that she often was made to believe that women were lesser than men. She recounted a conversation with her uncle where he told her not to dream big and that even if a woman is educated, the end goal is marriage. Thankfully, for Manya, her father did not share these regressive views and encouraged her to participate in as many pageants as she wanted. She added that it was always her father who told her to dream big and he wanted her to achieve incredible heights.
It wasn’t an easy journey for Manya. After all, she isn’t a regular upper class pageant queen. Manya spoke about how during her audition, she was rejected ten times for reasons involving her height, face, and even her English speaking skills! She added that things weren’t any easier at home. Manya stated, “My parents had mortgaged whatever little jewellery they had to pay for my college. Still, when I asked for bus fare to travel to my auditions, Papa never hesitated.” She spoke about how she learned English by observing how her friends spoke in college and even started working overtime at the pizza place. She did this so she could afford to buy all the various accessories, outfits, makeup and everything else that is required in the pageantry world.
The Journey Ahead
In December of last year, Manya finally decided to try her hand at pageantry again. She started giving interviews from inside the 10 by 10 slum that she shared with her parents. Manya spoke about how when she would reveal that her father was an auto-driver a lot of people criticised her and said that she was just asking for attention and pity. However, Manya hit back and stated that she was super proud of her roots and where she came from. She spoke about how she can finally give her parents everything she’s wished to give them. Manya’s first move is going to be securing a house for her parents to live in comfortably.
Manya spoke about how she would be nowhere without the love and support of her beloved parents and how much they believed in her dreams. She said, “Papa believed in a 14-year-old’s frivolous dream of making it big in the city. He believed in me…and that’s why, today, a rickshaw driver’s daughter is standing with a crown on her head.” It truly is so wonderful to see how incredibly supportive and kind her parents are.
Manya’s story proves that with the right attitude, support and determination, you can achieve whatever it is you set your mind to. Her incredible hardwork and dedication are what won her the prized position at the end of the day and her father’s love and support are what got her to her goal. We hope to see many more wonderful stories of supportive and loving parents like hers. Do let us know all of your thoughts in the comment section below.
