After completing two years of her undergrad she transferred to a college in the capital. She missed the warmth of her folks back home, but this only made her tough. [break]
She decided to pursue her dream and participated in a beauty pageant without informing her parents. She did not stand out but the failure did not deter her.
She made yet another foray and made her dream come true.
Republica caught up with the ever-smiling Malina a day after she was crowned Miss Nepal. Here are the excerpts:
Is Miss Nepal the ultimate goal for you or do you have other wishes yet to be fulfilled?
Yes, it does not get bigger or better than this. The title has always been my priority. It’s almost like all this is a dream and I might wake up to reality any moment. The best part is that my parents who never encouraged me are happy now. I talked to them over the phone immediately after the crowning and my mom was surprised. Talking about my goal my eyes are set on the Miss World Title.
Are you nervous about participating in the Miss World pageant in London?
The participation in Miss World will be my first visit out of the country. Even within the country I have not really had the opportunity to travel a lot apart from the college tour which took me to a few places. Having said that, I must also mention that I would love to travel. As for the pageant in London I do have insecurities. As I earlier mentioned Kathmandu was not very friendly to me in the beginning and the same might happen in London. I am therefore working toward making myself stronger.
The London pageant would see a bevy of beautiful women. What would you do to make yourself stand out among them?
You might have long legs, a great body and bundles of talent but if you don’t carry a good heart you will never succeed. For me being a good-hearted woman is what matters the most and that way I am quite rich. Apart from that you need presence of mind and the ability to give right answers at the right time.
You challenged the question from the jury. What was going through your mind then?
I was asked the state of the world by 2050 if women were ruling it but I strongly believe that women are already doing that. I believe that we are equal to men in all spheres of life and there is nothing we can’t do. In fact I have an objection to the special privileges given to women in public transport and government quotas. I think we can compete and win our place and also it is unfair for the men. I answered just the way I wanted and if I were asked that question today my answer would have been the same.
Most former Miss Nepals have joined marketing, modeling, real estate or aviation industry. What do you think of them? Are you looking for similar options or will you break the stereotype?
My dream is to become a successful ad filmmaker. I chose marketing as my majors in MBA and it is through this field that I wish to make a mark. I don’t have an opinion about the careers of the previous Miss Nepals and don’t wish to be compared either. I hope there comes a day when people recognize me because of my advertorials. Apart from that I really want to promote entrepreneurship and stop the brain drain in the country.
I believe our country has ample opportunities and instead of making much hue and cry about issues like load-shedding and political instability youth need to do something for the country. There is opportunity in almost everything, one just needs to persevere to succeed.
Now that you are a public personality, you will need to take criticisms in your stride. With your new status, what type of criticism do you anticipate?
I hear I have already received a lot of negative criticism. I believe that the people who are saying I did not deserve to win the title are challenging the judges. Those on the panel were prominent figures and I trust their judgment as much as I trust myself.
Something that you’ll do to make your image linger in people’s mind.
I don’t come from a very rich family and therefore might not be able to dole out a lot of money for donations. I might not be able to wear a new dress at every function or attend a lot of high profile parties. I will, however, make sure that I give my cent percent to everything I endeavor. I will try and do everything I can for the betterment of the society.
Your message to everyone who supported you and to those who didn’t.
I did it. It’s mine.
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