Aarzoo Rana, 22, from Janjehli in Himachal’s Mandi district, was crowned Winter Queen 2023 on Friday late at night. Nitika from Shimla and Smriti from Kullu were crowned first and second runner-ups respectively.
A large number of beauties from many states took part in auditions for the Winter Queen beauty pageant. Finally, 27 beauties were vying for the crown. After multiple rounds for three days which involved catwalks with girls donning different clothes including traditional and western dresses, question and answer round, IQ checks etc.
27 contestants were given chance in both the first and second rounds. 15 were shortlisted for the third round while six of them were chosen for the final round. After two rounds on Friday late night, Arzoo was crowned winner of the contest at 12am. Aarzoo lost over 25 KG of weight to participate in this event. This outdoor event was held amid the bone-chilling cold of Manali.
Arzoo said her parents supported her in all her decisions and she started modeling as a hobby from a local event held in the Mandi district. “My parents and all family members were screaming with happiness after I won the pageant. I come from a small village in Janjehli. Now I am fully confident and prepared for similar events anywhere in the country. Our groomers worked hard on our catwalk, posture, and costumes and in elevating our confidence. My father is an ex-army person,” she said.
First runner-up Nitika said the completion was very tough and she is happy that there was no snowfall during the completion. She said she would dedicate the crown to her family and her father, who works with Indian Army, is returning back to the job on Sunday. “I’m going back home after learning a lot of things from here.”
Second runner-up Smriti, whose father is a cop, said her parents gave her freedom to choose modeling despite being from a rural area. She said she is pursuing LLB and her sisters encouraged her to participate in the beauty pageant. She adds: “My father Kuldeep Singh and mother Meena are happy for me. I’m thankful to my groomers and all that supported me. I’ll go home with a lot of changes in me including personality development and confidence.”
Besides crowns and certificates, the top three winter queens were given cash rewards of Rs one lakh, fifty thousand and Rs thirty thousand respectively by MLA Bhuvneshwar Gaur.
Winter Queen Beauty Pageant is a reputed and famous beauty contest held every year in Manali in the winter season. The pageant is a part of the National Winter Carnival which is celebrated from January 2 to 6 every year. Beauties vying for the crown while doing catwalk on an open-air ramp with sub-zero temperature is what makes this contest unique.
Few of the past winter queens
Shimla’s Ashima Chauhan is Winter Queen 2022
Updated on January 06, 2022
Ashima Chauhan of Shimla, who is pursuing her MBBS from Hong Kong, was crowned Winter Queen 2022 in the Winter Queen Beauty pageant held here from January 2 to 6. Tapti Thakur from Madhya Pradesh and Ipshita Kashyap from Chamba were declared first and second runner ups respectively.
A large number of beauties from many states were vying for the crown. 25 contestants were shortlisted for the quarter-final. After many rounds including a catwalk, IQ test, social activities and talent hunt rounds, Ashima, a resident of Amboi village in Rohru region of Shimla district, was crowned with the winter queen title on Thursday late night when the temperature at the outdoor ramp was below freezing point.
“I’m pursuing MBBS from Hong Kong. When I had my final round of the beauty pageant on Thursday evening, I had my online exam also. I first attended the online exam and then prepared for the contest. With the blessings of my parents and well-wishers, I won the contest,” Ashima said.
She added that she had never participated in any beauty pageants but she always used to rehearse after standing before the mirror since she was in school. “I was active in different activities since my school. I was the top dancer in the school. What motivated me the most to participate in winter queen contest is our top models including Harnaaz Kaur Sandhu. Now that I am the winner, I’ll love to participate in more such beauty pageants while continuing my further studies.”
She said her father Balwant Chauhan is a farmer and her mother Parshotama Devi is a housewife and both of them are her idols. She said she is not able to inform her parents about her success as her village has limited connectivity. She wants to win more such titles and use the money to fund the study of poor children. She said she want to help society like Mother Teresa.
Both first and second runner-ups Tapti Thakur and Ipshita Kashyap aspire to become Miss Universe. The idols of both the winners are their parents. Tapti said she lives in Bhopal and her parents Suraj Thakur and Geeta Thakur are farmers while second runner up Ipshita said her parents Suman Dev and Indira Kashyap support her more than anybody and she has been miss Chamba 2019 and among top 10 contestants in Miss Himachal 2018.
Winter Queen beauty pageant is held every year in Manali from January 2 to 6 during Winter Carnival and is a unique beauty contest where contestants are required to endure the freezing cold while doing a catwalk. Besides western dresses, the contestants are required to wear traditional attire. Many times, like this season, the contest is held during snowfall.
Mandi’s Gunjan Saklani is Manali Winter Queen 2020
Updated on January 7, 2020
Gunjan Saklani, 21, a resident of Sarkaghat in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh was crowned Winter Queen 2020 during a five-day-long national level Winter Carnival in Manali.
Arushi from Shimla was the first runner-up while Shambhavi from Hamirpur was crowned second runner-up in the five-day-long event. The beauties had to do a catwalk amidst snowfall in the final round on Monday night.
Gunjan, who is pursuing B Tech from Himachal University, contested with 25 beauties shortlisted for the beauty pageant. All contestants vying for the crown had a tough competition and had to undergo various rounds.
“My grandfather Kanshi Ram Saklani is my role model and my inspiration. I dedicate my victory to him and my parents. I have many beauty pageant titles but becoming winter queen is like a dream coming true. Now my aim is to become Miss India,” she told the media on Tuesday evening.
Born to Dinesh Saklani and Tanya Saklani, Gunjan added that the contest was tough as all participants were talented and well-groomed. Based on the “beauty with brain” criteria, she was chosen in the top five contestants in the final round. She said she wants to carry forward the message of “clean India, green India” to as many people as she can and she loves trekking and eating veg momos.
The final round started at 11:30pm on Monday night when the temperature was below freezing point. The contestants had to wear thin gowns in extreme cold condition. The winter queen was announced at 12:40am.
The Winter Carnival, the largest tourism event of Himachal, was celebrated between January 2 and 6 in the Manali town where 135 mahila mandals and 25 teams from Himachal and other states performed for five days. People enjoy singing competition Voice of Carnival, dance competitions, folk dances, fashion shows, baby shows and many more. Winter Queen Beauty Pageant remains the centre of attraction for all. Winter Queen 2019 Palak was also present in the final round.
Palak Sharma from Chamba is Winter Queen 2019
Updated on January 6, 2019
MANALI: Palak Sharma, a resident of Sihunta village of Chamba district in Himachal, has been crowned Winter Queen 2019 after beating 28 girls from many states. 28 beauties with brains were shortlisted for final rounds from many auditions where over 100 participants took part.
Eying Femina Miss India and Miss World titles, Palak has participated in many beauty pageants and won different titles. She was crowned Winter Queen beauty pageant title in midnight on Sunday. Most of the rounds of the contest were held amidst snowfall.
Prashika Sharma from Kullu was announced first runner-up and Arya from Mandi was second runner-up. Amazingly, none of the contestants from other states could make it to top three positions.
“My grandmother Jadeshwari is my role model. Mother Sonu Sharma and father Rajeev Sharma support me in whatever I do. I was born in 1998 and currently, I’m pursuing MBA from HP University, Shimla. My morale is high after winning this title and I want to make my career in modeling. Extreme cold weather was the main challenge in the contest,” she said.
She added that whenever she gets time, she motivates others to keep the country neat and clean. “I love my Himachal and trekking the mountains. I really want to do something to deal with the problem of littering in the country.”
The girls had to undergo various rounds in five days long Winter Carnival at Manali. 11 girls were chosen for final round who had tough competition for the crown. Palak finally won the contest and was given the crown and cash prize of Rs one lakh.
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