Mannat Siwach, who represented India at Miss Teen International 2023 beauty pageant, won the first Runners-up at the prestigious beauty pageant. Miss Teen International is the world’s biggest and oldest-running teen pageant. After a series of activities, including closed-door interviews and preliminaries, the week-long pageant had the finale and coronation night on June 22 at the Aeon Hall in Phnom Penh, Cambodia- this year’s host country.
Mannat Siwach is an 18-year-old who won Miss Teen Diva and was elected to represent India at Miss Teen International. She trained for 18 months to be ready to represent India at Miss Teen International 2023. Mannat Siwach is an Army Kid and wants to become an entrepreneur.
24 countries competed for the 25th Edition of Miss Teen International held in Cambodia. India’s Mannat Siwach secured the First Runner-Up crown and made India Proud. Venezuela’s Barbara Parraga became the winner of Miss Teen International. Cambodia’s Sok Nidanath became the Second Runners-Up.
Mannat Siwach represented the Game of Chess as her National Costume at Miss Teen International National Costume Competition. Her national costume was designed by Vineta Devkar, and her evening gowns and cocktail dresses were designed by DL Maya.
Mannat Siwach, after her Swimsuit Round and Evening gown round, reached the Top 8 and answered the following question:
If you were to create the world once again, what would it be like? How would it be different from the world right now?
She answered the question, “If I were able to differentiate the world from the way it is right now the very first thing that I would do is to create peace rather than war. My country India has faced a lot of issues because of the issues happening worldwide, however, I believe that peace is something that can bring a change not only in India but the world. This is something which is required; we need love, warmth, and hospitality from people. We need people to listen to each other, we need people to understand, we need people to extend kindness to show compassion and to create an impact. That is the world I would create.”
In the top 5, she faced the question once again.
If teens were to rule the world, what would it be like? How should they treat the adults?
“I believe that if teens were to rule the world they would respect the adults, and they will create a world where people will bring in acceptance, acceptance is a problem that is not only in India but also worldwide, they will create a world where everyone lives with dignity they will create a world which is at par with the 21st century, they will create a world where people live with love, respect and kindness,” she replied.
Talking about this achievement, she says, “It's not every day that you get to be called India. It takes years of hard work, dedication and a positive outlook to reach that level. To wear the sash of India across my chest was a feeling of great pride and honour especially because I come from an army background and to serve my country runs in my blood. I am beyond grateful for the incredible journey I have had representing India on the global stage. It has been an honour and a privilege to showcase the beauty, diversity, and rich culture of our beloved nation.”
When asked about what her emotions were, she said she couldn’t express what she felt. “There is no way I can express what it felt, eyeing on winning and losing by just one step - a mixed bag of emotions is probably the right word. However, I believe that one learns more from losing than winning, it teaches you to keep going, it teaches you to lift yourself up again and it teaches you most importantly the value of winning.”
Speaking of her experience at the pageant, she says, “My experience at the pageant was nothing less than wholesome. To be with girls from entirely different walks of life is truly beautiful. I am so thankful for all the memories I created with them, each and every moment spent with them has enriched my life. To be in an entirely different country and compete is not an easy task. It is challenging and one needs to have a positive approach to overcome the obstacles. All that I had in my mind was that I need to give my best so that later I don't regret one bit of it. I have said it before as well life gives you only two chances you either sink or swim, so to give it your all is the key to creating a change. My journey of creating an impact and inspiration continues. I firmly believe that competing is never about winning. It's about preparation, courage, understanding your passion and nurturing your dreams and beliefs. the difficulties and challenges and emerging out as a confident person.”
She praises her team immensely and profusely. “There is always a strong team behind making every dream a success. My heartfelt gratitude to all those who made it possible for me. The credit goes to my organisation because of whom I was able to represent the country, my parents whose values and principles make me stand tall and confident, to my entire family, friends and supporters. It's because of the faith and belief of the people that kept me going.”
On parting shots, she says, “I promise to never stop dreaming and will cling to my optimism. Will Always look for the silver lining. Always look for the best in people. See the wonder in the simplest things and believe that anything and everything is possible if you have the fire within you.”
