When Miss Nepal first aired on television in Nepal TV, I watched beautiful women walking down the stage with a confidence that was radiated to me, a 10-year-old, through the screen.

Fast forward to today and I’m trying to muster enough courage to sit down with not one but two ladies who have been on the other side of the screen. Malvika Subba, Miss Nepal 2002 and Anushka Shrestha the reigning Miss Nepal, two brilliant women, walk in one by one, as I fumble out my greetings. The conversation begins, and I could feel myself loosening up. Both are down-to-earth and friendly and I didn’t have to worry about trying to hold the conversation. Before I knew it, we were on our third round of coffee and ever-flowing conversation.

Since winning the title of Miss Nepal 2002, Malvika has been an example to many young women all over the country. The way she didn’t let the buck stop at winning the crown continuing her journey in as an influencer, even before the term was coined, is what makes her connect with her younger audience.

Anushka, the reigning Miss Nepal has just begun her journey but her future looks promising. Crowned as Miss Nepal World in 2019, she has proven to be an excellent successor to all the women crowned in the past 25 years.

Malvika vividly remembers the time she decided to participate in Miss Nepal. ‘When Ruby Rana was crowned Miss Nepal 1994, it was surreal,’’ she said. “While I was growing up, there hardly were any women in the media I could look up to. But her coronation gave me that boost I needed and here I am.”

Anushka, on the other hand, was studying and working in Australia when she chose the path of pageantry. “It was only in 2012 that I began to see myself as someone good enough for a beauty contest. I saw it as a platform that could bring changes. I saw Miss Nepal as a credible brand. On a personal level, I never considered myself “commercially” beautiful so participating in Miss Nepal was a personal challenge for me.”

2002 was a rebellious time. Malvika remembers what it was like to be Miss Nepal at that time. “In my time, beauty pageants were frowned upon—we were called “shameless” for wearing the clothes we wore.” She says the challenge was more to break that social barrier and misconception people had about beauty pageants.

Times have changed and Miss Nepals no longer have to face the same barriers. They make the headlines after their win; are celebrated by Nepalis all over the world. But that doesn’t mean that the road to the crown is without challenges. “My biggest challenge was the magnificent representation that Miss Nepal pageant had in 2018. The boots to be filled looked too big. Most people would tell me: ‘Why this year? You’re setting yourself up for failure because you’ll have to live up to the biggest hype that’s ever been’,” said Anushka. But she stood her ground and signed up for the 2019 installment of Miss Nepal—and the rest is history. Not only did she go on to win Miss Nepal, but she also came back with flying colours from Miss World with three big wins—Beauty with a Purpose, Miss Multimedia and Head to head Challenge.

When asked about their most significant achievement as Miss Nepal, Malvika said, “Over the years, I have been able to garner a lot of respect from many people—I have been able to be a voice for change and to pave the way for other young girls to become Miss Nepal.” I waited to hear what Anushka had to say. “It’s hardly been a year since my coronation so I cannot really talk about achievements as such, but I think my journey in Miss World can be it for now,” she said.

Anushka won the ‘Beauty with a Purpose’ title in Miss World 2019 held on December 14, 2019 at the ExCeL London in the UK. She had won the title for her project that was based on two simple principles—education and livelihood generation. Her advocacy was to uplift the community in Solsing which lived in acute poverty and misery. With Earthquake destroying the lives of countless people, this community in Solsing was also majorly affected as the people lost their homes and jobs.

However, I was pretty curious about what Malvika would’ve done for her ‘Beauty with a Purpose’ project had there been such a segment during her time. “In my talent round, my advocacy was HIV/AIDS in Nepal. So after being Miss Nepal too, I worked with various organisations to carry that issue forward. During that time, the HIV/AIDS epidemic was really high, if I remember well, 54,000 people were suffering from HIV/AIDS in Nepal. Back then, patients of HIV/AIDS were ostracised by society and I fiercely was against it. If there were such a segment, I believe I would take the same cause forward,” she said.

In the past decade, Internet has made it possible for fans to interact with celebrities but when Malvika was crowned Miss Nepal, social media platforms were rare, and interaction on these platforms in Nepal rarer. But her fans still reached out to her, says Malvika. “People would write letters to us—handwritten ones. I would even occasionally receive letters from fans proclaiming them to have written their letter with their own blood,” she said. “It was a different time back then, for us and for our fans. When I look at the younger generation now, everything is right there on social media. Anushka doesn’t have to deal with “blood letters” but also, she will never know the passion with which they were written.” With social media platforms, it’s easier for newer Miss Nepals to build their brand and grow an influence over their fans, agrees Anushka. “Back in our time, we had to actually go out to meet people; to feel their love for us. Being seen on television and featured in newspapers was a very big deal for us,”said Malvika.

With the pageant growing bigger every passing year, brilliant young women are sure to make a beeline for the crown. So what would the two ladies suggest these women do to have the crown on their head? “Aspiring Miss Nepals must realise that the pageant is not just a one-day competition, it’s a commitment of a lifetime. Usually the glamour associated with it throws a shadow over the title but there’s a lot of hard work involved if you think you deserve to win the crown. You’ll have to prepare yourself for a lot of negativity that will be thrown at you because it’s easier to soak in all the love and appreciation but all the more hard to deal with negativity,” said Malvika. “Educate yourself, do your homework and don’t come with the notion that everything will be handed to you on a platter. Know what you want from the title and be ready to leave a mark.”

Anushka seconds Malvika’s thoughts. “Everything she said is true. Be open to seeking and learning along the way. Understand the value of the crown. In Nepal, you can do so much with this crown so come with the enthusiasm and energy that with or without this crown, you will create an impact on the community, people and this country.”