Beauty pageants are almost always about what's on the outside, but KIIT Nanhipari Little Miss India Competition is certainly a cut above the rest. Not just talent, but the fitness level and general knowledge of the girls between the age groups of 13 to 16 years are put to the test through various rounds. And to top it all, winners will get cash prizes and fee waivers to pursue any discipline at KIIT University! While auditions for KIIT Nanhipari will be held on KIIT’s premises on November 3, auditions will also be held across 23 cities of India including Amritsar, Agartala, Bengaluru. Chennai, Hyderabad, New Delhi and so on.
The driving force
The brainchild of KIIT Nanhipari is the Founder of Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) and Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS), Dr Achyuta Samanta. This competition was started in 2001 from Kendujhar district. It was the intention of Dr Samanta, who is the Chief Patron of KIIT Nanhipari, to do more for the girl child who is often pulled back by society and her own parents.
And what is at the end of this rainbow? Cash prizes and fee waivers for pursuing any discipline at KIIT University. But Shradhanjali Nayak, one of the four core team members of Nanhipari, urges us to look beyond the prize and understand how rewarding the journey itself is. "Reservation and scholarships for girls are fine, but what we do is hand-hold the winners towards their goal. We counsel them and help them understand which career path is right for them, then guide them towards it while ensuring that they have imbibed the necessary skills needed for the profession they have chosen," she says. Malay Mohapatra, Dr Sucheta Priyabadini and Dr Smita Mohanty are also an integral part of the core team.
Winners get it all
The semi-finals and the finals will be held on December 28 and 29 respectively. Girls will be encouraged to represent their region by wearing traditional costumes. A general knowledge round of 20 questions is also part of the agenda. The main attraction will, of course, be the talent round. "Last year, one of the winners drew excellent rangolis and another was a skater. So your talent could be anything, it is up to us to make arrangements for it," says Nayak and adds, "We understand these girls might be hesitant, but we help by encouraging them and ensuring that they are comfortable." They have a fitness round solely to draw attention to the fact that health is wealth. The judges too will have the chance to ask questions. We are told that many girls have thanked the management profusely for this platform which helps them discover their own hidden talents.
One thing is clear from all of this, KIIT Nanhipari needs to be an all-rounder and needs to be a beautiful human being, inside and out.
