Manushi Chillar’s journey
Outgoing Miss World, Manushi Chillar shares the highlights of her journey with SHIKHA JAIN
With her wit and smile, Manushi Chillar not only won the crown of Miss World, but also everyone’s heart. After a whole year of being Miss World, as she prepares to hand over her crown to her successor, it is time to relive the goosebumps and the hiccups…
What has your Miss World journey been like?
It has been a rollercoaster ride for me. Probably, it was the best experience because I got to see so much and do so many things that I had never imagined. It was a tough one because everything was not easy for me. It was an experience of a lifetime and I also enjoyed it the most.
What was the best and worst part of your journey?
The best part about it was the travel and even the worst part was the travel! I got to learn a lot myself while I was travelling, and on the flip side it would get super hectic with everything happening around and you are jet-lagged and get no time for yourself or even to rest. Plus, I’m a vegetarian so I had a lot of limitations on eating.
What kept you going despite the odds?
What really pushed me was the fact that this was my dream since forever and this was something that I wanted to do. Overall, if
I look at my year, I loved it…it changed my life completely – from being an ordinary girl to someone whom everyone talks about or whom everyone knows. I also got to have experiences of a lifetime because it is something that only one girl in a billion gets to do. These were the best days of my life.
You will be crowning Miss World 2018 soon, how does that make you feel?
It’s just wonderful to see how there’s another girl who gets to live the same journey. I’m excited and I can’t wait to see who takes the journey forward because it’s not easy to be Miss World. Someone who can take the legacy forward needs to be crowned. I’d love to be there for those girls and it’s something I even told Miss India that I’m just one phone call away if you ever need me. I just want to make sure that her journey is smooth and she does an even better job.
Almost everyone has seen your humanitarian side, so could you elaborate on one problem in our society and measures to fix it?
One common issue that I came across is that India is one of the most depressed countries of the world. Sometimes, our society tends to put the person down and encouragement is lacking. We might call ourselves rational animals but we are emotional fools. So, we need to support each other emotionally as well. I could achieve so much with the kind of confidence I had in myself or because of my teachers who encouraged me to explore my talent. Similarly, if every child gets that opportunity or encouragement from their parents for any field, society will be in much better shape.
One piece of advice you would like to pass on to up and coming participants?
The one piece of advice someone gave to me when I did my first round of the Miss India pageant was – “Change is going to come to you very fast and since you’ll be stepping into a new world, it will be completely different from what you have done… so do not change who you are.” And I think that is the right advice I got. Being who I am, irrespective of all the external changes that have happened in my life, keeps you connected to the people who matter to you the most. It also keeps you motivated.
What’s your say on the #MeToo movement?
It is great that it happened and finally, people got a stand for themselves. Instead of deciding who is right or wrong, we should support those who are talking about it. It has happened to both men and women. I’m glad that with all this a lot of changes are taking place because your workplace should be about your talent and the opportunities shouldn’t be biased. People should feel safe where they work.