Manasa Varanasi, Miss India World, on what gives Indian contestants the edge in pageants

Manasa Varanasi, 23, from
Telangana will represent India at Miss World International pageant that was
originally scheduled for the end of 2020 but postponed due to COVID-19 and she
can’t wait for the day as she thinks that the country always has an edge over
other contestants because of our great tradition.

“I think Indians always has an
edge over other girls in the international pageant . We carry ourselves with a
sense of confidence, amazing values, traditions that we have all been sort of
brought up with and I think it’s all these learnings that help us stand out in
international pageants. India is always a favourite,” said confident Manasa in
a telephonic conversation with Opoyi.

The financial information
exchange analyst is ready to give her best shot at the 70th edition of Miss
World competition and bring back the crown. The last Indian to win the crown
won Manushi Chhillar in 2017. Toni-Ann Singh of Jamaica will crown her
successor, this year.

When asked about if she had any
plans to act in Bollywood, like other beauty pageant winners in the past, she
said her plan right now is to just focus on the Miss World contest.

“I am an explorer and I am
always open to new opportunities, new possibilities which depicts my interest
but right now my prime focus is the competition because there is a huge
responsibility on my head and I am excited to pour my heart and energy into the
process. My priorities set straight,” she said

What is interesting about
Manasa, born in Telangana with Varanasi surname,  is that her name reflects a strong cultural
amalgamation. When asked if she has ever realized that, the beauty queen said,
“I love that and I love how you noticed that, and thank you for that. Well, I
think so too, I think I have a good balance of all cultures in this country and
with Varanasi and Hyderabad to my name, I think it’s also a good blend of
north, south, east and west.”

The journey of Miss India
requires spending a lot of days with other contestants from different parts of India
and for her, every day was a new learning.

“The first half of the pageant
was virtual and that was of course another learning experience but to finally
be able to meet these girls in person was beautiful. There was a lot I learnt
about different states, for example, I learned a lot about Nagaland cuisine and
my fellow contestants shared a lot about their culture, their language so it
was beautiful,” she said.

But did she learn anything about
fashion or the glamour world over this period of time?

“I think, for the longest time,
my fashion sense has always been very safe .. I usually play it safe but with
the competition, I think I have understood a lot about the potential of the
fashion industry. There is so much that we can experiment with styles and
fashion. I think the biggest step for me right now is to just keep pushing my
comfort zone and to keep looking out to do things in a different way.

“The way you look is not just
about what you wear but it is also your hairstyle, your makeup, and the
confidence with which you air it,” she said.