Miss India Runner-Up Manya Singh Worked At Pizza Hut, Studied Under Streetlights

Miss India Runner-Up Manya Singh: Before becoming VLCC Femina Miss India 2020 Runner-up, Manya Singh had a long battle to fight.

Singh comes from a humble background. Born in Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh, her father is a rickshaw driver and her mother had to once sell her jewellery to once pay her school fees. Growing up she came face to face with various financial constraints. She had a hard upbringing, and eventually came to Mumbai and worked various jobs just to survive and complete her studies.

"I had taken a decision. Now there was no turning back," Singh spoke in an interview with NDTV.  She traveled to Mumbai without having any money on her to even eat. She was just 14 back then. She somehow managed to complete her studies by working at restaurants. She took up the job of a dishwasher in the evening, and worked at a call centre at night. She revealed that she had to go hungry on many nights, study on the streets and work at Pizza Hut. She started that job at the age of 16. She appeared for her 10th boards while working there and even scored an 80 percent.

Miss India Runner-Up Manya Singh In Conversation:

Miss India runner-up Manya Singh came to Mumbai by herself. She studied on the streets, her parents didn't have money for her school fees but none of those problems stopped her from dreaming big. Here's Manya Singh talking to NDTV's Rohit Khilnani about her incredible journey. pic.twitter.com/OBjGPDh69P

— NDTV (@ndtv) February 13, 2021

Many times, she was told in class that her parents were not paying the school fees. "Eventually, one day I got to know that my mother had mortgaged her jewellery to ensure that I paid my exam fees in order to earn a degree. My mother has suffered a lot to provide for me,” she said.

Earlier, in an Instagram post, Miss India organisation shared how Singh had been disregarded for not knowing how to speak fluently in English and she was criticised for being "not good-looking."

"At the call centre job, I learnt how to speak confidently. I wanted to connect with people. I worked on my language, my voice to speak fluently. I became tech-savvy. I worked hard to sharpen my skills as well," she added.

She further said she took part in the Miss India pageant to help her family and “to show the world that all is possible if you are committed to yourself and your dreams.” She has a younger brother. “All the clothes I had were hand-me-downs. I yearned for books, but luck wasn't in my favour,” she wrote in an Instagram post, sharing the moments from her struggling days.

Singh was crowned Miss India, Uttar Pradesh last year. Read more on Manya Singh’s inspiring journey here.