Manya Singh-Daughter of a Rickshaw Driver Who Spent Nights Without Food or Sleep | Here’s Her Inspiring Story

In an Instagram post, the Miss India Runner-up revealed how she spent nights without food or sleep or having to walk miles just to save a few rupees.

New Delhi: They say hard work and determination pays in the long run and a shining example of it is Manya Singh, who was declared runner-up of the VLCC Femina Miss India 2020 on Wednesday night. Not many know, but Manya’s journey to the coveted pageant was riddled with hardships and many sleepless nights. Hailing from Uttar Pradesh’s Kushinagar, Manya is the daughter of a rickshaw driver, who had quite a difficult childhood owing to financial and societal constraints.

With the new-found fame, Manya is now using her journey to to inspire others. In an Instagram post, the Miss India Runner-up revealed how she spent nights without food or sleep or having to walk miles just to save a few rupees. She yearned for books and clothes that were hand-me-downs, but luck, she says, was never in her favour. The situation was so bad said that her parents had to mortgage all the jewellery they had to pay her exam fee.

“I’ve spent numerous nights without food and sleep. I’ve spent many afternoons walking for miles on end. My blood, sweat, and tears have amalgamated into courage to pursue my dreams. Being a rickshaw driver’s daughter, I never had the opportunity to attend school as I had to start working in my teens. All the clothes I had were hand-me-downs. I yearned for books, but luck wasn’t in my favour. Eventually, my parents mortgaged whatever little jewellery my mother had to ensure that I paid my exam fees in order to earn a degree”,  she said in a post shared by the official Instagram handle of Miss India back in December.

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A post shared by Femina Miss India (@missindiaorg)

At the age of 14 Manya had run away from her house to somehow complete her education. The post revealed that Manya studied during the day, washed dishes in the evening and worked at a call centre at night to get by.  She appeared for her 10th boards while working at the pizza chain and even scored an 80% aggregate.

She added, “My mother has suffered a lot to provide for me. At 14, I ran away from home. I somehow managed to complete my studies in the day, became a dishwasher in the evening and worked at a call centre at night. I’ve walked hours to reach places so I could save the rickshaw fare. I am here today at the VLCC Femina Miss India 2020 stage to uplift my father, my mother, and my young brother and to show the world that all is possible if you are committed to yourself and your dreams. ”

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A post shared by Femina Miss India (@missindiaorg)

“She believes that education is the strongest weapon one can have with themselves at all times. Doted on by her mother, she has won the Best Student award during her HSC. She has struggled a lot in life till date, from not being able to pay her school fees, not being able to afford books and being neglected by her classmates for being an auto driver’s daughter,” Miss India said about Manya Singh in a post shared last month.

In an old Instagram post by Miss India organisation, it was revealed how Manya had been disregarded for not knowing how to speak fluently in English and for her ‘not-so-good looks.

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A post shared by Manya Singh (@manyasingh993)

According to a report in Wion, Manya Singh intends to help her family with the prize money and wishes to continue to model.

The Miss India pageant is organised by Femina, a women’s magazine published by The Times Group. Along with Manya, Manika Sheokand was crowned as VLCC Femina Miss Grand India 2020 and Manasa Varanasi was crowned VLCC Femina Miss India World 2020.