Sadikshya Shrestha

Sadikshya Shrestha, Miss Nepal 2010 is the youngest Miss Nepal winner, and can be taken as an ideal young girl who gained big achievements and experiences in a young age. There is no doubt that she has an inspirational personality along with her beauty. The young lady, who had also won the VOW Magazine’s “Top Ten College Women award” in 2009, still seems quite busy getting involved in various events in and outside the valley as well as pursuing her Bachelor’s d egree at the same time. Sadikshya shared her experiences and views about different things on the questions we asked her.

How would you define Sadikshya Shrestha in one sentence?

Although it would be a very long sentence to describe( laughs ) but I can describe myself as a girl who wants to learn everyday with life and the lessons it teaches me every moment.

What are the things that you like and dislike about yourself?

I like some qualities that I have in me like the patience, ability to admit my mistakes, courage to discard some events, and also courage to say ‘no’ to things that are not right in my perspective. The things that I dislike about myself, “Tyo pani tannai chha” (laughs). I think that I still lack the courage to deny some things even if I want to deny them and I still need to add and remove qualities within me to face the world and interact with different people every day.

What differences have you experienced in your life before and after Miss Nepal?

Before Miss Nepal I used to be a normal girl who used to attend her classes, come home on time and also have enough time to enjoy with her buddies. There was a lot of freedom. us to a bright future which may take a long time to fulfi ll anyways. Therefore, I love to stick to the hopeful side on this matter.

What is the role of today’s youth in the development of Nepal?

I think our young generation always has the love for the country either they are here or abroad. Today’s youth, even if they are abroad should come back to Nepal one day and contribute in some ways to the country. Our country would be better if youth show a bit more will in their country’s future rather than focusing more on their own future only. I am hopeful that it will happen one day

There is trend among youngsters going abroad for foreign degree which is the main cause of brain drain, but still you’ve preferred to study here. Why?

The trend might have been growing because students might have found better conditions of studies in abroad countries than in Nepal. It is good thing to go outside and acquire knowledge but it is even better to use that acquired knowledge for the betterment of your homeland rather than staying outside after studies. I chose to study here because I love to stay with my family and along with my studies I want to continue my works as well. Studying in Nepal gives me enough time to do so. But even I might go abroad for my further studies but even if I go, I will defi nitely return and use my knowledge here because I love my country.

Tell us one thing that will make us remember you?

After reading this interview I am sure you will spend few minutes going through all my points. Some of u might agree and some of u may not. Some of my answer might bring smile on your face and some might think that this is exactly what I expected from a Miss Nepal. Since you have given your time to read my answers, I think you will remember me.

What makes you feel proud being a Nepalese citizen?

I think our country is blessed with a lot of good things. I like Nepal’s natural beauty, culture, tradition, historical architectural structures like durbar square, Dharahara, beautiful Rana Palaces, etc. These are the things and the reason tourists come here for .Besides that the brotherhood among each other and the fi ne manner in which a typical Nepali woman takes care of the entire family also makes me feel proud being a Nepalese citizen.

Tell us about your experiences in the miss world contest in China

The best experience for me was that I was representing my country in the competition and I felt proud about that. I shared a lot of good things about our country in front of the other contestants. I also got a chance to learn many new things. Besides, I also made some friends like Miss Korea, Miss Mongolia, Miss Macau, etc with whom I enjoyed and they even showed interest in visiting Nepal.

Controversies have raised often regarding beauty pageants contest being against the values of our society and culture. What answer would you like to give to the critics?

I don’t think these beauty pageants are against our culture. In our culture, we have the practice of praying goddesses along with the god which represents respect for women in our culture. A man might go out for work but a woman takes care of the family members and the home itself and she is basically the homemaker. So, it is high time that the women take charge and the priority of our society change with time. Miss Nepal focuses more on development of women and not on hampering our society and culture in any ways. So, the main reason behind all those controversies is that our society is the conservativeness of our Nepali society which I hope will change one day positively

To uplift the condition of Nepalese women, what sorts of effort can a Miss Nepal can contribute? What kind of activities have you contributed on this regard?

This is the question which a Miss Nepal is usually asked as soon as she is crowned (laughs). A Miss Nepal can act as a role model, have a positive attitude in front of all, get involved in some social activities and represent herself positively towards the world as a woman. This can inspire other women as well. Even I have been trying many of the things after being Miss Nepal.

Give your perspective on beauty and fashion

I think beauty lies on the eyes of beholder because different persons defi ne beauty in their own ways. I believe that inner beauty matters more than outer beauty and if you fail to maintain your inner beauty, then your outer beauty doesn’t have much use. On the other hand, Fashion is all about how you present yourse¬¬lf in front of others and it differs according factors like family events, time with friends, etc. The way you present and dress yourself defi nes you a lot but I prefer to be more comfortable in case of fashion.

Would you like to get involved in the management or business fi eld in the future?

Yes defi nitely. Since I am a student of business myself I think I have or will have required knowledge for it in the future and I think setting up innovative ideas through business helps to boost the economy of the country as well.

What should our Nepalese contestants improve to win or improve our performance in international pageant competitions?

The problem with this matter is that people tend to focus only on the results and not on what kind of facilities for preparations our contestants usually get for these competitions. Contestants outside get professional trainers, designers, assistants, sponsors etc who handle their dresses, jewelry, fi tness, schedules, etc and the contestant gets enough time to focus for her preparations. Here in Nepal, we lack all these sort of inputs required for an international pageant competition and a contestant has to manage most of the things by themselves which is of course quite hectic. Therefore, our contestants require some good input and a bit more support if we really want to succeed.

Social service has been taken up as a fashion stunt by celebrities. What your views regarding this?

In many cases, we can detect whether it is a publicity stunt or not by the way celebrities do it. If anyone really feels like doing social service then they can continue it even after their tenure. I believe things like celebrity status, popularity, tenure etc doesn’t matter for a person with a good heart who genuinely wants to carry on social service.

As we know that you have lots of fans, what is the craziest (Memorable) incident that you have experienced with your fans or a particular fan?

Oh yeah! It was quite recently by the way. I was hosting the Coca Cola’s euro cup contest in NCCS College. One of the students came up to me and asked me to give my autograph on a thousand rupee note. I asked him whether he’ll spend the money or not and in reply he said he’d just frame it and keep it. It was quite bizarre to see anyone sacrifi cing thousand bucks with an autograph but I liked the experience.

As a Nepalese citizen, how would you contribute to the country/ how have you been doing it till today?

As a Nepalese citizen, I do worry about the situations and current affairs of the country. Even though, I consider myself a “Hopeless Hopeful” who is always hopeful that these situations will lead Nepal to a brighter day at some point of time. On the other hand, I represented Nepal in programs like miss world, Nepal tourism year, etc where I had the chance to tell the world about the good things about Nepal. I think that’s a contribution I have done for the country.

How do you feel about current scenario of our country?

Being a conscious citizen of Nepal and a “Hopeless Hopeful” that I am, I always expect for the better future of my country and always expect that each event either considered good or bad or big or small can be signifi cant in bringing a positive change in the country’s future. It is said that it is the darkest when it is dawn, so I think whatever disorders have happened in our country may be leading

Please convey your suggestions to the young generation of new Nepal.

Be more positive, be happy, don’t ever be disappointed because you will not be able to do great things in life, start with small differences that add to make a big revolution in the society, family, and even in your life. Just Keep smiling and be positive in life always.