Chatline Once a tomboy, 19-year-old Tanvi Singla was recently crowned Miss Asia Pacific World at the I Am She pageant. She talks to SRAVASTI DATTA of her struggles to achieve her dream
H er eyes strike you first. And then, her easy manner. Meet 19-year-old Bangalore girl Tanvi Singla who was recently crowned ‘‘I Am She” Miss Asia Pacific World 2011. Her journey as a model has been dotted with pleasant surprises and hard work. “Last year, I had decided that by 2011 I would participate in a beauty pageant. I tried for Femina Miss India, but wasn't selected,” says the international karate champion.
The rejection didn't leave her dejected. She applied for the “I Am She” pageant, and again wasn't selected… confused? Tanvi explains: “The organisers had selected 40 contestants in the first round. I wasn't among them. A few days later, I received a mail stating that I have been selected through a wild card entry!” How did she react to the news? “I began shopping for the event!” she laughs and continues: “Every girl thinks she's special. So did I. Not being selected for Femina was disappointing, but I knew that being defeated wasn't going to make things better.” Lady Luck smiled on her eventually at the “I Am She” pageant. “I made it to the top twenty, the top ten, the top five and when I won the pageant, it was a dream come true!” she gushes.
Tanvi says she discovered herself in the 15-day workshop at “I Am She”. “At the risk of sounding clichéd, I felt so content and so much at peace. Winning the pageant wasn't on my mind, doing my best was.” In the finale, Tanvi's confidence shone. “In the penultimate round, I was asked by Zaheer Khan, who was one of the judges, if I thought women are the weaker sex, if not, then why? I answered that we address Mother Earth as a woman, which is stronger than any man on earth.” But it was her answer in the final round that impressed the judges. “The same question was asked to all five finalists: ‘What is your ‘I Am' quotient? To which I replied, ‘I am energy, life. I am kindness, yet pride. I am confident of who I am and what I define. I am love defined'”.
Tanvi owes her success to her mother. “My father died when I was two. My mother brought me and my siblings up single-handedly. Because of her, today, I am fiercely independent. I left home when I was 17. I studied in Bangalore. I now live alone in an apartment in the city,” says Tanvi who was born in Panipat, studied in Ooty, and has also lived in Mysore.
Quiz her on how she's preparing for “I Am She” Miss Asia Pacific World 2011 to be held later this year and Tanvi says: “It's been just a few days since I've won and I'm only 19! I am preparing myself well; however, I've left the rest to destiny.”
