Contestants exhort students, visit Keithel, Loktak Lake
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, April 10 2023: Fifteen out of the total 30 state winners, who would be contesting in the grand finale of Femina Miss India 2023, visited Little Flower School, Sangaiprou, here, on Monday during which they had an interaction programme with the students and motivated the latter to pursue their dreams.

The contestants were accorded warm welcome at the school by the staff led by superior sister Maria Dilbung and headmistress sister Ronai.

Gifts were also presented to the contestants apart from cultural performances by the students.

Interacting with the students, Miss India Manipur representative Thounaojam Strela Luwang said that she had home schooling due to anxiety disorder and epilepsy during her childhood.

As a result, she could not enjoy the beautiftil days of school life, she recounted, while encouraging the students to enjoy every moment of their lives.

She further said that achieving targets in one's life depends on hard work and determination.

While informing that finalists of Miss India are from diverse professions including doctors and they are representing their respective states in the beauty pageant, Strela explained that they are not visiting the school to showcase their looks but to motivate the students by setting themselves as example of people, who have achieved their goals.

She then advised the students to always keep in mind the old saying Nothing is Impossible' .

According to Miss Karnataka Mega Edward, school life is one of the most enjoyable and trea-surable moments of life.

Stressing that students should take the advice and suggestions of their teachers and elders, and apply them in their lives in order to become accomplished individuals in future, she said contestants of the Miss India contest have reached this stage after passing through several stages of life, which is full of challenges.

Miss India Rajasthan, Nandini Gupta said that she feels happy to get such warm welcome from the school and compared the students with flower buds, while encouraging them to put in hard work and determination while facing challenges of life in order to bloom gracefully.

She also encouraged the students to\ be brave in choosing the path of life they would want to tread by following their passion in order to achieve success.

An interactive session between the contestants and students of 10th standard was also organised later.

Members of Little Flower School Past Pupils' Association also joined the interaction programme.

ome of the contestants also visited Khwairamband Ima Keithel on Monday and praised the hospitality and love shown by the people of Manipur to outsiders.

Of the total 30 contestants for the Grand Finale, seven along with a team of organisers of the beauty pageant visited the market from 2.30pm and purchased goods of their choices sold at the historic all women market.

A photo shoot for the contestants was also held there.

Among the contestants who visited the market was Strela Luwang Thounaojam representing Manipur in the pageant while other contestants included state winners- of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Arunachal Pradesh and Assam.

The contestants from other states told the media that they came to Manipur for the first time and were overwhelmed by the manner in which people of the state accorded them a warm welcome.

They said that the hospitality shown to strangers is imitable.

Femina Miss India pageant is not only a platform to showcase beauty but also clubs together culture and traditions of different states.

Expressing happiness on witnessing the historic all women market, the contestants said they felt proud on visiting Khairamband Ima Keithel as the market epitomises courage, strength and empowerment of women.

They also applauded love and care shown by people of the state to them since their arrival on April 7.All the 30 contestants were accorded a warm welcome with cultural troupes at Imphal airport.

Before visiting Khwairamband Ima Keithel, 20 of the 30 contestants visited Loktak lake in the morning.

Mesmerised by the beauty of the largest freshwater lake of the North East, the contestants also had photo shoot at the lake and later visited INA memorial complex at Moirang.

Meanwhile, Strela Luwang told The People's Chronicle that hosting the grand finale of Femina Miss India-2023 for the first time indeed is a historic event for Manipur and she felt proud of being part of this history making process by representing the state.

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