Mumbai: Dreams do come true if you work hard towards it. Meet Manya Singh, daughter of a rickshaw driver from Uttar Pradesh who was February 10 crowned the second runner up at Miss India 2020 beauty pageant.
The contest was won by Manasa Varanasi from Telangana who was crowned Miss India World 2020 at a glittering ceremony in Mumbai. Haryana’s Manika Sheokand was declared as the first runner up while Manya, from Uttar Pradesh won the second runners up title.
Unlike her peers and fellow contestants, Manya’s childhood has been of struggle where she has gone nights without food or proper sleep.
Manya’s family of four has faced years of hardship before Manya started modeling. Sharing photos of her family on Instagram, Manya wrote, “I have spent many nights without food and sleep. I walked for many afternoons on foot. My blood, sweat and tears became food for my soul and I dared to dream. Being the daughter of a rickshaw driver, I never had the opportunity to go to school because I had to start working in my teens.”
“All the clothes I had were hand-me-downs. I yearned for books, but luck wasn’t in my favour. Eventually, my parents mortgaged whatever little jewelry my mother had to ensure that I paid my exam fees in order to earn a degree. My mother has suffered a lot to provide for me. At 14, I ran away from home. 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. 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,” the post further read.
Manya, who won the regional round and was crowned Miss India Uttar Pradesh last year, started working at a Pizza Hut store at the age of 16. Her task was to wash dishes at the restaurant. She appeared for her 10th boards while working at the pizza chain and even scored an 80 percent aggregate.
Manya intends to help her family with the prize money she has won and continue to model. Winning the Miss India runners up title will surely open up avenues for this bright young woman who has worked hard to realize her dreams.
For Manya, the daughter of a rickshaw driver, the victory was extra sweet after many sleepless nights and years of hard work. Manya had earlier opened up about the struggles she faced on the road to success, saying that she hoped to inspire others by using the platform provided by Miss India to talk about her journey.
“My blood, sweat, and tears have amalgamated into courage to pursue my dreams,” she said in a post shared by the official Instagram handle of Miss India back in December.
Manya, who was born in Kushinagar, said in her post that she grew up in tough circumstances, spending nights without food or sleep and walking miles just to save a few rupees. She yearned for books and clothes that were not hand-me-downs, but luck, she says, was never in her favor.
Her parents mortgaged whatever little jewelry they had to pay Manya’s exam fee. “She believes that education is the strongest weapon one can have with themselves at all times,” Miss India said about Manya Singh in a post shared last month.
“Doted on by her mother, she has won the Best Student award during her HSC. She has struggled a lot in life till date, from not being able to pay her school fees, not being able to afford books and being neglected by her classmates for being an auto driver’s daughter,” the post further revealed.
In her post, Manya said that she studied during the day, washed dishes in the evening and worked at a call centre at night to get by. “I’ve walked hours to reach places so I could save the rickshaw fare,” she said.
Manya Singh was chosen as VLCC Femina Miss India 2020 Runner-Up.
Source: wionews.com