Pantaloons Femina Miss India World Manasvi Mamgai

The sweet heart and champion of Uttarakhand and soon to represent India to the rest of the world, PFMI Manasvi Mangai spoke to us from Nainital, North India’s Lake District. 

What can you tell us about your family and schooling?
I grew up in Chandigarh, attended Hansraj Public school until my 10th grade after which I completed the rest of my high school at Carmel Convent. 
 
How did your parents react when they found out you wanted to pursue a career in the limelight and enter the Miss India Pageant?
My parents have always known I have been creatively inclined, I have always been fond of, dancing, singing and acting and they have supported me every step of the way. In fact my mum bares most of my ambition, I sometimes think she wants me to succeed more than I do. 
 
When did your modeling career begin
My career began four years ago with a debut in Wills India Fashion Week, since then I have been in every major fashion magazine and held contracts with the likes of Fair and Lovely, amongst others and I’ve also worked with Tarun Tahliani, and Manish Malhotra.

At what point in your life did you decide to enter Miss India OR what event prompted you to enter the contest this year?
I’ve always wanted to enter Miss India but more so since 1994 when Ashwariya Rai won Miss World, since then, I have had my sights set on Miss World. I only entered this year because it is the first time that I could manage to get myself out of all my contractual commitments and things actually fell into place for me.
 
What kind of music do you listen to and enjoy?
I quite enjoy ‘The Blues’, I love Eric Clapton, Dire Straits, and Eddie Hazel.
 
What has been the one experience that has really touched your heart and one that you will hold in a special place forever?
Having roots in Nainital, Uttarakhand I had been invited by a womens organization to visit and speak to the women here shortly after I won the title. This is a very small and simple part of India and to the people here it is a big deal that a girl from these parts has won Miss India. Of course city folk think it’s quite an achievement too but for these people here I’ve done something for them. It’s almost as if I’ve brought the trophy home, they are so very proud of me and that makes me feel so very special to be able to do that for them and to have the opportunity to experience this. 
 
Did you ever reach a point during your journey to Miss India or during the contest and think this is never going to happen for me, have you ever come to a point where you felt like you might have to give up on this dream?
Yes, countless times, with the grueling schedules during the entire process of PFMI, the early mornings and late nights, I sometimes felt I wouldn’t be able to do it and that’s when I would speak to my mum and she would tell me that this is the point I need to fight back and that is really what inspired me to push through. 
 
Which of your competitors at Miss India, did you consider your strongest competition?
I can’t say that there was anyone person because there were at least ten to twelve who were very good. There were only eighteen finalists this time as opposed to twenty-five and that meant that these eighteen were the cream of the crop. A couple of them had been through the contest before and some of them were established models, so they were all pretty polished. 
 
What do you think of the Hindi Film Industry as a career option?
I am a big fan of Bollywood and have always been, I think that Indian movies are very unique with the way in which we use music and dance; I especially love Bollywood classics there for I would be delighted at a career in Bollywood but only after I have brought back the Miss World crown to India.
 
Where do you see yourself in the coming years from now?
I see myself acting in Films and working with NGO’s as well. 
 
Is there a particular social cause that you feel strongly for and want to be (or you are) associated with?
Yes! I strongly believe in the importance of education and am now associated with AKANSHA and TEACH FOR INDIA.

What did your day consist of before Miss India?
Work, Work and more Work, I never really had any free time to peruse hobbies or other activities, hence whatever free time I got, I ended up spending with friends and family. 
 
What do you perceive as your strength or what personal quality do you think will act in your favor during Miss World?
As mentioned earlier I have been involved with the performing arts since I was quite young thus rendering me with a certain comfort level when I am on stage. I think presenting myself with ease and clam will help me stand out and eventually play in my favor. 
 
What areas do you think you would need to further develop and strengthen to compete at an International level?
Current affairs and to ensure that I know more about my own country and what is going on in the rest of the world. 
 
Were you aware that the Miss Universe Title is no longer a party of the Miss India Pageant before you entered Miss India?
We were all aware and it never mattered to me because at the end of the day I am now a MISS INDIA and I get to compete at Miss World which is what I wanted all along.  
 
A Few pointers you’d like to give to any one aspiring to become a Miss India?
Always be professional, and this is important for any kind of profession. It is essential to show up on time and be adjusting etc. because word of mouth goes a long way.
Also to understand that the beginning of anything will be full of teething problems and it really helps to understand and retain faith in oneself.

What is your / What would:

Make for an ideal date?
Something active and adventurous like white water rafting in Rishikesh, but certainly nothing that involves sitting around and the same old same old. 

Your favorite food?
I’m Punjabi so oily butter chicken and naan
 
Your favorite perfume?
Poême (pronounced Po:em) by Lancome

Favorite Intimate wear brand?
None in particular I shop for them abroad.

Favorite Designer?
Lecoanet Hemant and Manish Arrora

Favorite Holiday Destination?
I love Goa just to chill out and go there every couple of months

Favorite operating system?
Windows

What are you afraid of?
I’ve always succeeded at everything I’ve done so I’m really afraid of failure.

Your dream destination?
I love beaches so the Caribbean.

Pantaloons Femina Miss India International Neha Hinge:

So lovely, warm and forthcoming is our Miss India International that what started out as a fifteen minute telephonic interview ended up becoming a 40 minute chat which left one feeling like extremely proud and excited that the New India is turning out such genuine, grounded, focused and well balanced young women.

Continued….
 
Which of your competitors at Miss India, did you consider your strongest competition?
I’d have to say no one, because I only focused on my performance, I didn’t think it right to probe and look at anyone else as competition, as no matter what they did or how they performed my intent was to beat them but to be the best that I could be.

What do you think of the Hindi Film Industry as a career option?
Apart from the Miss India Title I also won Miss Bollywood Diva and a film with Mr. Madhur Bandarkar so yes I think it’s definitely something I want to do but after I bring back the Miss International Title to India.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years from now?
Having won Miss International and having won Best Indian Actress.

Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?
I imagine that 10 years from now I will be far more mature than I am now; I will have had various life experiences and opportunities to learn from the people I will most likely interact with. Hopefully at that point I feel I will be ready for Politics.

What did your day consist of before Miss India?
Before Miss India, I had a very relaxing lifestyle, I got up at ease and went to work and then sometimes went out in the evening. It was a regular life style with a little bit of painting and sketching thrown in.

I have always been someone involved with many extra curricular activities in School I always participated in extra curricular and have also been captain of our school Cricket Team, and have won a national level gold medal in Pool.

Is there a particular social cause that you feel strongly for and want to be (or you are) associated with?
Well actually I have been involved with Social activities right from school.

I’m an active member of Greenpeace; I’ve been involved with Aids Awareness and female infanticide awareness through street plays. One particular association that I’m most partial to is with a Special needs School called TARA which carters to mentally challenged children amongst others with special needs.

What do you think your strengths are OR what stands in your favor for the forth coming Miss International Pageant?
I’ve been closely following international pageants for a few years now and I think that my associations with social welfare organizations, along with my education, my height and the fact that I will respond to all formal communication at Miss International, in Hindi, will play in my favor.

What areas do you think you would need to further develop and strengthen to compete at an International level?
I’m not one to wait for the last minute, I begin working on every single area of myself well before hand, so there is nothing that I need to address that I haven’t already.

Were you aware that the Miss Universe Title is no longer a party of the Miss India Pagent before you entered Miss India?
Yes I was aware, and I am an admirer of Ms. Sushmita Sen who was India’s first Miss world, I wish her all the very best but I am glad that I am a MISS INDIA because that is what I set out to be.

What is the one mantra one needs to repeat to oneself to get through something like Miss India?
I can do it I am a winner!

What is your / What would:
 
Make for an ideal date?
A candle lit dinner by the sea, there is something about the gentle soothing sound waves generate.

Your favorite food?
Pani Puri and butter chicken with garlic naan

Your favorite perfume?
Quite a few but I will say that I like light feminine fragrances as opposed to heavy musky ones.

Favorite Intimate wear brand?
 Enamour

Favorite Designer?
Ritu Kumar and I love Archana Kochar’s Indian wear we wore some of her stuff at Miss India.

Favorite Holiday Destination?
Goa in the winter and Kashmir in the summer.

Favorite operating system?
Windows

What are you afraid of?
Crocodiles

CONTINUED IN PART III WITH AN INTERVIEW FROM PFMI/WORLD MANASVI MAMGAI…

Pantaloons Femina Miss India International Neha Hinge:
An effervescent young woman who refers to herself as ‘The Luckiest Girl in the World’ (she just might be); Neha Hinge Miss India International and Bollywood Diva (amongst other titles) took the time to chat with me from her grandparents residence in Shrirampur.

What can you tell us about your family and schooling?
I grew up in Dewas in Madhya Pradesh, and naturally I went to school there, I completed my 12th standard exam there and then I concluded my education with a degree in Software Engineering from Pune.

My family is very large and close knit, everyone including my extended family and my 5 immediate house members are a great source of strength for me.

As a child, what did you aspire to become when you grew up?
Honestly, I’ve always wanted to be MISS INDIA. I use to draw a tiara and hold it against my head and look at myself in the mirror. I never stopped wanting that and today I have achieved it.

How did your parents react when they found out you wanted to pursue a career in the limelight and enter the Miss India Pageant?

My parents are and have always been a great source of support to me, they have always encouraged me in my ever endeavor and have always expressed faith in me, and by that I’m not just referring to my parents but my whole family. They have always stated that I could do anything that I wanted to.

What was your first modeling assignment?
I’ve just entered into the modeling profession very recently. About 6 months ago I began with FTI in Pune followed by an opportunity with Rexona which I had to decline because the dates clashed with Miss India.

At what point in your life did you decide to enter Miss India OR what event prompted you to enter the contest this year?
As I have said before, I have always wanted to become Miss India but I never knew how to go about entering the contest. When last year Miss India Pooja won, I heard that she had attended a fashion training school called Tiara, run by an amazing woman whom I hold in high regard by the name of Ritika Ramtri. From the first moment I entered that school Ms. Ramtri told me that I had a typical Miss India face and off and on during my training she told me repeatedly that I was going to win. She took a corporate girl and turned her into a Miss India and Bollywood Diva.

What kind of music do you listen to and enjoy?
Honestly I have a varied taste in music and what I listen to depends on what mood or situation I am in but I do love Sonu Nigams Voice, Jagjit Singh, in general I listen to soft music. Oh! And as far as international music is concerned I like Shakira.

What has been the one experience that has really touched your heart and one that you will hold in a special place forever?
When after a play performance of ‘Aisa Bhi Hota Hai’ for Miss India I went up to Mr. Anupam Kher and asked him if I could e-mail him for a poem he had just performed, he was sweet enough to just take it out of his pocket and hand it to me. That poem became a source of inspiration to me throughout the competition and I think will continue to do so for the rest of my life.

Did you ever reach a point during your journey to Miss India or during the contest and think OMG this is never going to happen for me, have you ever come to a point where you felt like you might have to give up on this dream?
I mean naturally I had some low moments but the one thing I really like about myself is that I never lose hope so I always bounce back, that and I had the constant support of my whole family and Mr. Khers poem to relay on. I sometimes spoke to my family for several hours a day.

Continued in Part II…..