Hyderabad City beauty is Miss India-2020

Hyderabad: The 23-year-old young achiever, Manasa Varanasi from Telangana bagged the prestigious Femina Miss India World 2020 title on Wednesday. Manasa was delegated by her archetype Suman Ratan Singh Rao from Rajasthan.

Manasa who graduated in Computer Science from Vasavi College of Engineering, lives with her parents, grandmother and sister in Hyderabad. Coming from a traditional, academically oriented family, after graduating she has been working as a Financial Information Exchange analyst with a financial software firm.

On participating in India's top beauty pageant, she says, "Contesting beauty pageants was never my goal, but I was always a curious person with zeal to explore new vistas. The belief that growth comes from expanding boundaries and making life meaningful led me to take part in the Miss India contest."

She is candid enough to accept that compared to people who suffered hardships during pandemic she lived a charmed life for which she is grateful to God and her parents. However, she says her participation in the competition met with a lot of skepticism from her family, who preferred that she stayed focused on studies and work. "Fortunately, my journey to the crown allayed their fears, and now they are very proud of me," shares Manasa.

She takes inspiration from Priyanka Chopra, who is also the winner of the Miss World 2000 pageant. She describes the professional and personal versatility of Priyanka Chopra as "multi-hyphenate". She says, "Today it is hard to say what she really is – an actress; a singer; an entrepreneur; an author; Indian; Global; a businesswoman; a philanthropist – she has continued to push and reinvent herself. It feels very exciting to follow her path."

"What I love the most about her is that even with all her professional success, she has remained proud of her roots, and has never forgotten her responsibility towards those less fortunate – both through her own foundation, her championing of social issues as a producer and as a UN Goodwill Ambassador. To me, she still remains a Miss India and Miss World," she adds.

On her preparation for the beauty pageant, she says, "The physical aspect is very important as the physical impression you make that counts. My focus has been on holistic health, nutritious home cooked food and regular yoga sessions."

For aspiring beauty pageants, Manasa says, "It is important to understand why you want to be part of the contest, be proud of who you are and courageous enough to show it, and understand that the true reward is the journey and the friends."

Manasa will now represent India at the 70th Miss World pageant in December 2021 and she says it can't get bigger than that. "I look forward to whatever opportunities this life changing moment may bring my way – and I hope that I will continue to grow as a person with it. My most immediate goal and responsibility though is to prepare for the Miss World contest. I'm like a woman on a mission right now." Are there any plans for Valentine's Day? Manasa says, "Chocolate and sleep!"