Dharamshala — Six young hill women from the Himalayan regions, including Tibet will vie for the Miss Himalaya Pageant 2015 crown in the Himalayan hill town of McLeod Ganj, the pageant organiser has announced on Friday.
The six contestants were presented during a press presentation in Hill City of McLeod Ganj and had an official photo shoot in the Friday morning.
"It is my pleasure and pride to announce the participation of six young, beautiful, talented, and confident women from the Himalayan region in the Miss Himalaya Pageant 2015," Lobsang Wangyal, director of the pageant said at the media conference.
The contestants will go through five rounds of competitions in two days; the winner will win the crown and the prize of Rs 100,000. The first runner-up will be given 50,000 rupees and the second runner-up 25,000 rupees.
Day one of the competition, consisting of Talk and Talent rounds, will take place on Saturday, October 3, at 7pm at TIPA. The finale on 7pm the Sunday the 4th will have three rounds: the Introduction, Traditional Costume and Interview rounds.
Those who compete for the Miss Himalaya 2015 title are Chum Darang 24, Priyanka Verma 20, Samrity Verma 22, Swattee Thakur 20, Tanshuman Gurung 22, and Tenzing Sangnyi 21.
"Chum from Arunachal Pradesh, Tanshuman from Uttarakhand, Sangnyi from Tibet and the other three from Himachal Pradesh are are vying for the title of Miss Himalaya," Mr Wangyal told the reporters.
Chum from Arunachal Pradesh, India is 168 cms tall. She has an MA degree, with PG in tourism. She likes to travel, yoga, and dance.
"Himalayan culture and tradition have high moral values, and the people who abide by them are the children of God. The people of these region knows no discrimination on the grounds of race, gender, or colour," says Chum.
Priyanka, from Himachal Pradesh, likes singing, designing clothes, cooking, travelling, and gardening. she has a diploma in Civil Engineering, and now works as a Civil Engineer in a private company.
She beleives "the Himalayan region is a multireligional, multicultural as well as multilingual region that gives an expression to its inhabitant's nature in their manner of living and of thinking, in art, religion, ethical aspirations, and knowledge."
Samrity from Himachal Pradesh is 177 cm tall. With a one-year Diploma, she works in General Nursing and Mid-wifery in Ambala, Haryana. Her hobbies are music, dance, movies, and shopping.
"The music and dance of the Himalayas reflects its cultural identity. They people entreat their Gods during local festivals and other occasions. People in the Himalaya region are soft-spoken, hard-working, and peace-loving," says Samrity.
Swattee from from Himachal Pradesh is 192 cm tall. She is in her 2nd year of BTech. She likes listening to music, singing, and dancing.
"The Himalayas are home to millions of people and hundreds of unique species. The Himalayas span five countries: India, Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet, and Pakistan. With fascinating cultural and spiritual heritage, the essence of purity, beauty can be seen in the people of the Himalaya," said Priyanka.
Tanshuman from Uttarakhand is 167 cm tall. She has graduated with a BSc in Agriculture, and is currently pursuing a Masters' in English. She likes to spend her spare time with dance, song writing, and craft work.
"Himalayan culture is greatly diversified as it embraces different people and religion from different places in Himalayan countries. Himalayan culture is very divine and beautiful pleasing every person round the world and having a great impact on people's minds, behaviour, and attitude," says Tanshuman.
Sangnyi from Tibet, currently residing in Himachal Pradesh is 174 cm tall. She likes hiking, yoga, reading, softball, and singing. Tenzing is studying for her Bachelor's degree in Nursing.
"Every valley has its own unique culture and so there are different costumes for various parts of the Himalayas. Each one is beautiful in its own way. People here are friendly, religious, and depend on nature. They live in harmony and show compassion and tolerance," says Sangnyi.
The pageant organiser said that the event is "aimed to provide a platform for young women from the entire Himalayan region to promote its culture, preserve its environment, and foster understanding and friendship among the Himalayan people."
