The 21st edition of the most prestigious beauty pageant in Nepal, Miss Nepal, took place on Friday at Hotel Annapurna in Kathmandu. 19 contestants selected from auditions from around the nation competed for the coveted crown. Chitwan girl Asmi Shrestha bagged the title of Miss Nepal World and would be representing Nepal at Miss World pageant this year. Roshni Khatri and Barsha Lekhi won the titles of Miss Nepal Earth and Miss Nepal International respectively.
Apart from the three winners, Srijana Regmi and Namrata Shrestha had made it to Top 5. The final question asked to all of the finalists was about their opinions on reservation for women. They were given three minutes to write down if they think reservation is necessary along with the reasons to support their answer. Answers of all the five finalists were pretty good; and then came the moment of final verdict. Hosts Sanjay Gupta and Supriya Tuladhar announced Roshni and Barsha as the first and second runner ups respectively. Now it was time to announce who would be wearing the coveted crown this year among Asmi, Srijana and Namrata. Many people had mixed feelings when Asmi was announced as the winner of the main title this year. She indeed was a very deserving candidate but at the same time, it was not only sad but looked a little unfair to see Srijana not winning any of the three titles. The 23-year-old was one of the favorite contestants of many people this year and she absolutely proved her worth throughout the event. Not only did she look confident and charming, her answers to questions asked in Top 10 and then in Top 5 were pretty much on point. She was believed to be able to represent Nepal at any international pageant well as she already has the experience of doing so at Miss Grand International in Thailand in 2014. And for the very reasons, it came out as a shock to many pageant followers when she couldn’t wear any of the three prestigious crowns. She might not have won any of the major titles but she definitely did win thousands of hearts.
Apart from these three main titles, there were various other sub titles as well. Prerna Adhikari bagged the titles of Miss Scholar and Miss Beautiful Skin. Roshni Khatri was announced the winners of two titles – Miss Confidence and Miss Personality. Srijana Regmi became Miss Talent; and Miss Beauty With Purpose title went to Prativa Dawadi. The evening gown designed by Antee Gurung and flaunted by Asmi Shrestha won her the Miss Best Evening Gown title.
The event was very well hosted by Sanjay and Supriya; and a soothing musical performance by Rohit John Chettri made the evening even more beautiful. But what became a little irritating this year was the panel of judges. While asking the questions, the judges looked more nervous than the contestants and some of them had a tough time even completing their questions. However, singer Indira Joshi and actor Jeewan Luitel presented themselves very gracefully and were able to ask the questions fluently. Seems like there needs to be a grooming session for the judges as well from next year.
The event which was aired live on NTV Plus and live-streamed online by M&S VMAG started at 7:30 PM came to an end at around 10:45. One of the best things about this year’s edition were the hand carved crowns made by RB Diamond Jwellers which looked absolutely beautiful.
With some sweet and bitter memories, the 21st edition of Fanta The Hidden Treasure Miss Nepal has come to an end. We would like to congratulate all the winners and wish them best for the upcoming international pageants. Make Nepal proud, ladies! Kudos!
Comment below what did you think of the pageant this year. We’ll leave you with some of the pictures from the event.
Photos: The Hidden Treasure
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