At 14, she ran away from her UP home to Mumbai, the city of dreams, to make something of her life and at 20, Miss India 2020 finalist Manya Singh believes she not only won a crown, but earned herself a halo.
While the challenge for her parents – an autorickshaw driver and a stay-at-home mom turned esthetician – was keeping the family of four afloat, Singh said she always had big dreams.
Born in Mumbai and raised in the small town of Uttar Pradesh’s Hata Kushinagar district, the 19-year-old was crowned a finalist for VLCC Femina Miss India 2020 in a ceremony last week.
“I was even afraid to dream of Miss India. I would often get goose bumps and feel how someone like me could carry out such a big dream. But today, when it has come true, there is a sense of peace for having achieved it, which I have made my parents proud. I feel like there is a halo, “Singh said. PTI In an interview.
Life has not been easy for her, but Singh said it has been harder with her life. “At 14, I saw girls around me enjoying their life, wearing good clothes, going to school. I knew that my life is not like theirs because I did not have the same privilege. “
Singh, who is fluent in English but switches to Hindi if she has to elaborate, said she keeps reviewing times when her family couldn’t afford even the most basic necessities like education.
From 4th grade to 10th grade, her parents could only afford exam fees at Lohia Inter College, Sahwa, and at one point her mother was forced to sell her anklet to gain admission.
“Miss India was not my childhood dream. But he was sure he didn’t want to be a doctor or an engineer. That would have made my parents happy, but I didn’t want a simple life. I wanted some ‘masala’, ”he said.
Feeling caged at her home in Uttar Pradesh, feeling too distant from her dreams, Singh ran away from her village after finishing high school.
“I took a train from Gorakhpur to Mumbai and arrived at Kurla station. I was born in Kandivali, so I immediately came to the area, ”he said.
Singh, excited, recalls talking to her father two days later. “When a girl runs away, people start talking about you. This is not only limited to Uttar Pradesh but to the entire country. Naturally, my parents were concerned. When I called my father, he started crying. In a cracking voice, he asked me what I was doing there alone. But I had to run. “
Her family followed their daughter into Mumbai soon, but the battle in the big city now awaited the little town girl. Not having enough money, Singh got a job at a pizzeria, which helped her complete her university studies.
“I cleaned the floor, washed the dishes and also slept in the warehouse. At work, I observed how people behaved, dressed, and talked to each other. It was a huge learning for me throughout the year I worked there. “
He later joined a call center and worked at various companies during his graduation to support himself financially. “There I polished my language, I worked on my diction and voice. I started working to support my education, but even that shaped my personality and prepared me for Miss India. “
The contest became a goal only one year after his arrival in Mumbai. She said she realized that a platform like Miss India would recognize her rebellious voice and support her larger-than-life dreams, but her parents found it incomprehensible.
“My parents were stunned and felt that I had gone crazy. “People like us don’t even dream, and are you thinking of the Miss India crown?” they said.
My father always told me, there are more heels in my bag than books! Somewhere they were scared because I didn’t even have a Plan B. “
Singh said she always followed her heart, but never at the cost of dismissing her parents’ concern. It’s also why, he said, he always kept them informed about his goals and made them part of his big decisions.
“I listened to their insecurities, I respected their fears but I did not lose hope. When they saw me work hard, the way they supported me became my strength. “
Her trip to Miss India focused not only on where she wanted to see herself, but also how many women she could help find her way, Singh said, adding that it had something to do with the discrimination she and her mother faced because of your situation. gender.
“I wanted to be the voice of those women who are told that they have no right to speak, that they are confined, especially in the villages.” Singh also pushed his mother to find her independence.
“I wanted a change in my life and I started it with my mother, who was a housewife. I pushed her to get a job… I asked her to train as a beautician. He learned to make eyebrows in our town. “When we moved to Mumbai, she worked in beauty salons for free and learned. The more people he met, he began to broaden his horizon. “
Her mother’s newfound independence provided the foundation on which she eventually flourished. “When his dreams came true, he realized the value of mine. She started supporting me and once she was on board, naturally my father followed her. “
Singh had to cope with failed attempts at the Miss India pageant, but now she was not alone. Not only did she find unconditional support in her family, but she was also lucky with mentoring.
Singh also recalled the incident when his parents were told that they would have had an easier life if they had had an older child. “I decided to let my parents feel that their daughter is more capable than anyone else. I was pretty determined to get over myself, ”she said.
Singh even talked about his difficult path to success during the competition. In an Instagram post, he described how he spent “numerous nights without eating or sleeping” to achieve his dream.
“I have spent many afternoons walking miles and miles. My blood, sweat and tears have joined in courage to pursue my dreams. Being the daughter of a rickshaw driver, I never had the opportunity to attend school because I had to start work in my teens. All the clothes I had were inherited
.
She is a freelance blogger, writer, and speaker, and writes for various entertainment magazines.