Ishani Shrestha, Miss Nepal 2013, along with being fifth in the Top 10, will also bring home the prestigious ´Beauty with a Purpose´ title. It overshadows the 3rd place that she bagged in the ´Multimedia´ round. [break]
The stage at Miss World 2013 also reverberated to the melody of ´Maiti Ghar´ to which Ishani performed a dance. The 22-year-old was one of 11 contestants to be selected to perform a cultural dance at the ´Dances of the World´ segment of the competition.
Photo Courtesy: The Hidden Treasure
Ishani Shrestha (center) after being crowned Miss Nepal 2013 in Kathmandu in this file photo. She came out fifth at the Miss World 2013 in Bali, Indonesia on Saturday.
The excitement of Gopal Kakshapati, chairman of The Hidden Treasure, was palpable in his voice as he said, “We had hoped Ishani would reach the Top 20, but seeing her ascend to the Top 10, and that too with the fifth highest score, was overwhelming. We´re very happy for her. It´s an achievement for the entire nation as it´s not just an individual´s victory.” The Hidden Treasure organises the Miss Nepal pageants.
Similarly, Ruby Rana, Miss Nepal 1994, exclaimed, “I´m so proud of what she´s achieved today. As much as I value her reaching the Top 10, I admire her winning the ´Beauty with a Purpose´ title more.”
The Miss World pageant aimed to honor a contestant´s efforts in a good cause through the ´Beauty with a Purpose´ category.
Ishani´s ´Beauty with a Purpose´ video captures her project, ´Project Smile´, for which she visited Kudari Village in Jumla district and spent three days with locals, teaching them about oral hygiene and the importance of brushing one´s teeth. In the project, she worked with the local Aama Samuha, because as she says in the video, “If you teach a mother, the mother will teach her entire family.”
Kakshapati, who was part of the team that went to Jumla, remarked, “Ishani is a student of Dentistry, and so it´s natural that she wanted to emphasize the importance of oral hygiene. She came to me with the idea and I connected her with an organization in Jumla. We were accompanied by three doctors and a technical team.
A two-day health camp was set up at the village health center after which Ishani also spoke with schoolchildren at the local school. The caste system is still prevalent in Jumla, and the health center was out of bounds for those considered to be of low caste. So, we went door to door to ensure that the oral hygiene information and awareness reached everyone.”
Likewise, Nepal´s was one of the gifts chosen to be auctioned at the Miss World Charity Brunch on September 24. The gift, a Mandala, raised 18 million Indonesian Rupiah at the auction and the money was presented to a children´s charity in Indonesia.
Ishani will stay on for a week in Indonesia with her family before returning to Nepal, informs Kakshapati.
The title of Miss World 2013 went to Miss Philippines Megan Young, while Miss France Marine Lorphelin and Miss Ghana Carranzar Naa Okailey Shooter were declared the 1st and 2nd runners-up respectively.
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