Miss Himalaya Pageant 2018 contestants: Anisha Palnail, Anshika Thakur, Ashima Sharma, Palak Sharma, Ritika Sharma, Shalika Rana, and Yashima Patel pose for a photo during a meet the press event in McLeod Ganj, India, on 4 October 2018. Miss Himalaya Pageant

McLEOD GANJ, 4 October 2018

Seven young women are participating in this year’s Miss Himalaya Pageant on Saturday 6 October at TIPA in McLeod Ganj.

The seven are: Anisha Palnail, Anshika Thakur, Ashima Sharma, Palak Sharma, Ritika Sharma, Shalika Rana, and Yashima Patel. They are all beautiful and intelligent, and have enthusiasm and ambitions for their lives.

The winner will be decided after four rounds — Talk, Talent, Traditional Costume, and Interview — which will be judged by a three-member jury in the Finale Night at the grounds of Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (TIPA) in McLeod Ganj on 6th October.

The winner will receive a prize of one lakh rupees, the first runner-up 50,000, and the second runner-up 25,000 rupees.

Voting for Miss Photogenic will begin 10pm on 4th October, and close at 5pm on 6th October. The results will be announced on the Finale Night.

Women empowerment cannot happen only by words. There need to be opportunities and platforms for young women to have experiences and for them to excel in their lives. Miss Himalaya Pageant is an opportunity, a launching pad for Himalayan women to reach the stars.

We tried our best to get sponsorship for this event but failed to get any. Our request to the state government is yet to get a reply. We welcome any sponsorship assistance so that the event doesn’t hurt the Director’s pocket so much.

Since this event is also about bringing Himalayan people together, we hope to see lots of people from in and around McLeod Ganj at the Finale Night on Saturday.

We are all systems go for a memorable event, and look forward to crowning the new winner for Miss Himalaya Pageant 2018.

Lobsang Wangyal
Director