Meet Nisha Yadav, A Model Whom Smriti Irani Just Made Insta-Famous
niharika nayakBA (Media & Communication) Experience: 4 yearsNiharika has a passion for all things art, music, and travel and has over 4 years of experience in writing for social media. During her spare time, she likes experimenting in the kitchen, playing vide... more
Image: Instagram
Who says you have to forego brains to be a beauty? Definitely not Nisha Yadav.
The first runner up of India’s Next Top Model Season 4, stole the show at Lakme Fashion Week recently. After strutting the ramp, she was given the opportunity to meet none other than Union Minister Smriti Irani.
Inspired by Nisha’s journey, Smriti took to Instagram to share a snippet of her conversation with the aspiring model. She captioned the image “When fashion was not the only takeaway from @lakmefashionwk.”Her story drew a lot of attention from Smriti’s followers and made Nisha Yadav an inspiration to many young aspirants out there. So what is Nisha Yadav’s story?
Humble Beginnings
Hailing from Jaipur, Rajasthan, Nisha belongs to a slightly conservative family. Initially, her father was against the idea of her studying further and wanted her to get married at a young age. When asked why she chose to be a model, she stated that her height played the most significant role in her decision. Initially being made fun of and called names like horse and giraffe, she took all of it in her stride and continued pursuing her dreams.
When her sisters tried to support her against their father’s wishes, he asked them all to leave the family home. However, after watching her work extremely hard to follow her dreams, her father gave in, and all was well between the family. According to Nisha, her oldest sister, who is an IAS officer, was her biggest pillar of strength throughout her journey. Acting not only as a voice of reason and mediator between her father and her, she also supported her emotionally and provided sound advice.
In present day, all her sisters are doing extremely well professionally. Her oldest sister is an IAS officer, another works in the police department, the third sister is a software engineer, and her fourth sister is a professor. Nisha credits her father for providing her as well as her sisters with the means of education despite coming from a financially weak background.
Fighting Crime One Court At A Time
Nisha is currently a law student pursuing her third year at Rajasthan University. She is also working at a law firm in Delhi while continuing with her modeling. When quizzed during interviews about the modeling industry, she stated that it is difficult to break into regardless of whether you come from the city or a village. She spoke eloquently about how height isn’t the only factor that determines one’s entry into the modeling world.
Grabbing Headlines For All The Right Reasons
In the short clip, she told Smriti Irani the story of her initial struggle for acceptance and how much love and support she received from her siblings. Smriti Irani was extremely impressed by her drive and dedication to complete her education despite all odds. She highlighted how Nisha would walk a grueling 6kms one way just to attend school while she was growing up.
In the video Smriti is heard saying “Iska matlab betiyon ki shaadi tab jab padhai puri ho, jab balig hon aur jab unki ichcha ho (This means daughters should be married only after their education is complete, once they are adults, and when they wish to get married).”
Hearing these words of encouragement, Nisha couldn’t hold back tears, and Smriti Irani affectionately consoled her and helped her gain her composure. Nisha mentions that now that she’s proven herself, her father is incredibly supportive of all her goals. He encourages her both in terms of modeling and academics. The video of the entire conversation went viral on Smriti’s social media profiles, with many Indian netizens coming out in support of her beautiful journey.
Nisha shared the video herself, commending Smriti Irani on her incredible leadership skills. She mentioned how incredible it was to interact with a leader who uses her powers and the ability to empower those who are less fortunate. Referring to the interaction affectionately, she stated it felt like she was talking to a dear old friend. Nisha also thanked Smriti Irani for teaching her how to stay calm, polite, and grounded. Calling her an idol, Nisha mentioned that she had a high level of respect for her.
There’s still a long way to go for the Indian modeling industry, but it is incredible to hear empowering and inspiring stories of multi-talented women like Nisha. Her story proves that with willpower and focus, you can achieve the most impossible of your dreams and goals.
We commend Smriti Irani for helping this inspiring story reach the limelight of social media and for having this warm interaction with Nisha. We also wish Nisha the best for her upcoming journey. All you need is a little support, a go-getter attitude, and the world will be your oyster!
