Nepal Smiles at Ishani's historical success

“Big Day tomorrow. Actually a day of a lifetime. Very excited and nervous at same time and getting ready for it. Wish me luck.”

These are the words of Ishani Shrestha, The Fanta Hidden Treasure Miss Nepal 2013, that she had tweeted in her Twitter page just a day before the grand finale of the 63rd Miss World.

Truly, September 28 turned out to be a ‘Big Day’ not only for Shrestha, but also for the entire Nepal — while Shrestha was giving her best amidst nervousness and excitement at the pageant’s grand finale, millions of Nepalis were praying for her success.

It is sad that she did not win the crown, but the 21-year-old beauty made a historical achievement for Nepal by making it to the Top 10 of the contest. With this she has become the first ever Nepali to reach that spot.

At the event held in Bali, Indonesia, Shrestha was in the fifth position when Top 10 semi-finalists were announced on the official Facebook page of Miss World.

Shrestha also gracefully danced to the tunes of Maitighar from Nepali film Maitighar in the ‘Dances of the World’ category. All the other contestants shook their legs to this number making the dance performance look enchanting and vibrant.

But this is not her first achievement on this international stage — she also bagged the title of ‘Beauty with Purpose’, a sub-title at the contest. It was her project ‘Smile Nepal’ related to oral hygiene, where Shrestha did a free dental check-up in Kudari Village, Jumla, one of the most remote areas of Nepal, that made her win this sub-title. She also secured third position in the ‘Multimedia’ popularity round with 177,000 popular hits.

A student of Dentistry, Shrestha was crowned Miss Nepal 2013 on March 20 where she also won Miss Best Walk.
 

Venus Shrestha, Ishani’s mother
‘We are proud of her’
I am over the moon. Representing Nepal and winning the sub-title is a big award as well as earning a position in top 10 is a great niche for her and all Nepalis. Ishani is really happy now. She had struggled and worked hard to get this far. Today, it has paid off.

Indra Bhakta Shakh, Ishani’s maternal grandfather
She represented Nepal in Miss World 2013 and she has done us proud. She is among the Top 10. Even though she didn’t make it to the top, she is the Miss World for me. Her win is a prestigious honour for us. Her presentation for ‘Beauty With a Purpose’ was good. If Gibraltar hadn’t made it to Top 6, Ishani would have made it to Top 6 and won Miss World because of her talent. Nonetheless, she is still Miss World for me.

Gopal Sundar Lal Kakshyapati, Chairman, The Hidden Treasure
I am very proud and pleased with Ishani coming in the Top 10! I am very excited! This is the highest achievement in Miss Nepal pageant so far. All Nepal should be proud and happy. Also, Nepal got good exposure on the stage of Miss World 2013. Nepal got centrestage while Maitighar got played in the background in front of a huge crowd. This is an achievement for Nepal, which is priceless. When she won ‘Beauty With a Purpose’ and came third in ‘Multimedia’ round, I was hoping she would be in the Top 5 with her marks accumulating with her sub-title wins. However, I have not been disheartened because bagging a position in Top 10 out of 131 participants is a great achievement. And as an organiser, this feat is proof that we doing something and progressing. I am now optimistic and patient that a Nepali girl will win Miss World one day.

Prashant Tamrakar, Choreographer
Having been in the world of glamour for about 25 years, her win is a dream come true. Today is the day of happiness for us. I am feeling good and proud. I am very ecstatic. Ishani won the sub-title ‘Beauty With a Purpose’ and came in T 10 — this is a big achievement.

source: the himalayan times,28 Sep 2013