The Inspiring Story Of A Rickshaw Driver's Daughter Who Became Miss India 2020 Runner-up

Manya Singh: Manya Singh from Uttar Pradesh became the runner-up of the VLCC Femina Miss India 2020. The pageant finals were held on Wednesday.

Manya Singh is the daughter of a rickshaw driver from Uttar Pradesh. She said that this win was the result of the many sleepless nights and years of hard work. Owing to her poor financial condition at home, she had a tough time climbing the ladder to success. 

In an Instagram post on the official page of Femina Miss India shared in December 2020, she wrote about her struggles and her journey so far. She noted she wanted to use the Miss India platform to talk about her journey and hence inspire others. 

"My blood, sweat, and tears have amalgamated into the courage to pursue my dreams," she quoted in the post. 

The Miss India organisation thanked Manya for "sharing her story of struggle and hard work" and hailed her as an inspiration to others. 

Difficult Path To Success

Manya Singh was born in Kushinagar, UP. Growing up she used to spend several nights without food or sleep. To save up any money, she used to walk for many hours instead of taking transport. 

As a child, she used to yearn for good clothes and books to read that were not hand-me-downs, but her family couldn't afford anything new. Her parents mortgaged whatever little jewellery they had to pay for Manya's exam fee.  

The post further revealed that she had won the Best Student award during her Higher Secondary schooling. " 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," it read. 

The 2020 runner-up described that she studied during the day, washed dishes in the evening, and worked at a call centre at night to get by. 

Further, she expressed her motivation behind her inspirational story, " 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."

Indeed, after years of hard work, her dreams have finally sprouted wings. The Miss India organisation thanked Manya for sharing her story as well as hailed her as an inspiration to others. She is currently preparing for higher studies in Management Studies.

The Miss India Pageant

The pageant is organised by Femina, a women's magazine published by The Times Group. Manasa Varanasi from Telangana was crowned Miss India 2020 while Manika Sheokand from Haryana was declared Miss India Grand India 2020. 

"She believes that education is the strongest weapon one can have with themselves at all times," Miss India Varanasi said about Manya Singh in a post shared last month.