Manika Sheokand is an Indian model who rose to fame after being crowned Miss India 2020 on February 10, 2021.
Wiki/Biography
Manika Sheokand was born in 1996 (25 years old in 2021) and is from Chandigarh, India. She revealed in a post on Instagram that people felt sorry for her parents for having a second daughter. She quoted:
The old misogynistic culture still rules people’s minds and girls are still not welcome. When I was born, society pitied my parents for having a second girl. This made me determined to prove that I am an asset to society, not a burden. ”
She attended KB DAV Senior Secondary Public School, Chandigarh. She was a national-level netball player and excelled in sports, performing well in her academics. From 2013 to 2018, she studied for an Integrated B.Eng (Chemistry)-MBA at Dr SS Bhatnagar College of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Punjab University, Chandigarh.
appearance
Height: 5′ 8″
Hair color: Black
Eye color: Black
family
Parents and siblings
Manika Sheokand’s father is Suraj Mal Sheokand and her mother is Mamta Shoekhand, a housewife. Her elder sister is Kanika Sheokand.
Manika Sheokand with her parents and nephew
Manika Sheokand and her mother
Manika Sheokand and her sister
Relationships, husbands and children
We know very little about her relationships.
Profession
In May 2016, she joined KBR, Inc., Gurgaon, where she interned for three months. Later, she joined Gujarat Fluoro Chemicals Ltd. In 2019, she quit her job and started modeling full-time. She was the centerpiece of Gurgaon International Fashion Week (2019) where she walked for designer brands Anjalee and Arjun Kapoor, Narendra Kumar, and Rina Dhaka.
Manika Sheokand models for Rina Dhaka at Gurgaon International Fashion Week (2019)
After winning the Miss India Haryana 2019 title, she started preparing for Miss India 2020. During her pageant career, she won the Miss Mohey Photogenic title in the VLCC Miss India Femina 2020 pageant. At the Miss India Femina 2020 pageant grand finale held on February 10, 2021, Manika Sheokand was crowned Miss India 2020, Manasa Varanasi from Hyderabad was crowned Miss India World 2020, and Manya Singh from Uttar Pradesh was crowned Miss India 2020 first runner-up. Bollywood actors Neha Dhupia, Chitrangada Singh, Pulkit Samrat and renowned designer duo Falguni and Shane Peacock were the judges for Miss India 2020.
Manya Singh, Manasa Varanasi and Manika Shekhand
Favorite things
- Holiday destination: Kashmir
- Film: Dead Poets Society (1989)
- Book: The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
- Quote: The greatest glory in life is not in never falling, but in getting up after falling. ” (Nelson Mandela)
Facts and Trivia
- After being persuaded by her elder sister Kanika Sheokand, Manika decided to participate in the Miss India 2020 pageant. In an interview, she said:
It was my sister who convinced me to enter the beauty pageant. I always thought winning the crown was a dream that would never come true…”
- While working in the corporate sector, she led the company’s sustainability initiative which aimed to track the company’s carbon footprint to reduce its impact on the environment. Through the prestigious Femina Miss India (2020) platform, Manika hopes to spread awareness about the phenomenon of climate change, its impacts, and what can be done to address it. In an interview, she said,
Women play a vital role in protecting the climate, which is why one of the Sustainable Development Goals specifically focuses on gender equality and women’s empowerment. Gradually, I realized that to have an extraordinary impact, an extraordinary platform is a prerequisite…”
- Another little known fact about Manika is that she sometimes suffers from social media phobia.
- Manika is keen to learn performing arts and aspires to pursue a career in acting. She idolizes beauty queen Priyanka Chopra. While talking to Priyanka, she said:
The biggest inspiration to me about Priyanka Chopra is her strong personality and the way she has carved an identity for herself. Her strong personality inspires me to break glass ceilings and stereotypes and become a winner in all aspects of life. Seeing her gives me hope that with determination and hard work, one can achieve anything they desire and nothing is impossible if you set your mind to it.”
- Sharing interesting facts about herself, she said that she had never been on a diet before she started preparing for the Miss India 2020 pageant.
- She also admires Anna Wintour, a British-American journalist who was the editor-in-chief of the American fashion and lifestyle monthly Vogue. When expressing her love for Anna Wintour, she said:
My dream job would be to assist Anna Wintour. I have always been a huge fan of her work and I would love to assist her creatively.”
- Besides modeling, she enjoys reading, watching movies, and playing the ukulele.
- Sharing a fun memory from her college days, she said,
“Everyone in college thought my sister was my double. My friend was so excited that he asked me to meet the double, and it turned out that she was my sister.”
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education