‘Pageants inspire women’

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It was a grand celebration of beauty and glamour personified by 14 finalists at Miss Diva 2013 finale when Manasi Moghe was crowned the winner amidst much fanfare and glitterati. Manasi has not only won the title of Miss Diva 2013 but she has also won the opportunity to represent India at the Miss Universe pageant that will be held in Moscow later this year.
“I was among the top 23 in Femina Miss India but couldn’t win that title. I was really lucky that I got a second chance with Miss Diva 2013,” says Manasi.
She was indeed lucky as this is the first year of Miss Diva competition. Till last year, the Indian representative for Miss Universe Pageant used to be decided by I Am She – Miss India Universe contest.
Manasi believes that the competition was fierce and it was her confidence that set her apart from the other contestants. She shares, “I think I always have a positive attitude towards everything. Confidence and faith in myself is what I think made me stand out from the rest of the contestants. In these pageants, apart from beauty and brains, it’s the attitude that matters.”
Manasi is an engineer by profession and she has a passion for classical music and dance but her heart was set on the glamour world ever since she was a kid. “Ever since childhood, I used to follow beauty pageants and it was my dream to have that tiara on my head. I used to participate in fashion shows in my school and even represented my institute during my college days. If you talk about a beauty queen, that was me ever since childhood,” she adds.
She believes that winning this pageant will give her a platform to work for women’s empowerment.
“These events are not just about glamour. Beauty pageants inspire women to become independent. I want to promote education and women empowerment and this title will give me a platform for my voice to be heard,” she expresses.
Asked if Bollywood would be a natural choice for her, she asserts, “Right now I am concentrating on the Miss Universe pageant. I will think about it later.” Manasi will be leaving for Moscow next month to represent India in the Miss Universe pageant.
“I have too much to prepare and very little time. But I’ll do my best to get the crown back to India,” she concludes.