Welham’s girl to represent Nepal in China pageant

KATHMANDU - In 1957, when Ms H.S. Oliphant, a retired English headmistress, decided to buy the estate of a former nawab in northern India and start a boarding school for girls, she had no idea of the far-reaching wonders it would produce one day.

Next month, an alumna of the Welham Girls’ School she founded - that is today one of the landmarks of India’s Uttarakhand state - will vie for the title of Miss International at the 50th edition of the prestigious beauty contest being held in China.

And she will represent India’s neighbour, Nepal.

Meet Sanyukta Timsina, the confident beauty queen from Nepal who has another strong association with India.

She is also a former student of the Kendriya Vidyalaya (KV) - better known as the Indian school - in Kathmandu and says her stint at these two premier institutes helped her become the first runner-up at the Miss Nepal 2010 contest.

“Welham, my school, developed my personality,” says the 19-year-old, who leaves for China Wednesday to take part in the grooming and other activities that will lead to the Miss International 2010 finale in Chengdu city Nov 7.

“It taught me to express myself fluently in English and the extracurricular activities - yoga, social service and even karate - gave added dimensions to my personality.”

The daughter of a senior police official, Sanjukta says when she took part in the Miss Nepal contest last month, Kendriya Vidyalaya, where she did her Plus IIs, rallied round her.

“There was an SMS voting system and the school asked students to vote for me,” Sanjukta says with a smile. “Lots of people from KV voted for me and my Welham friends called me, some of them after two years, hoping I would be Miss Nepal.”

Though the crown went to Kathmandu girl Sadichha Shrestha, Sanjukta, the first runner-up, is hoping to do Nepal proud in the China pageant.

“Nepal has the highest peaks in the world as well as the shortest human being alive,” she says, alluding to another brand ambassador of her country, 18-year-old Khagendra Thapa Magar who this month was certified by the Guinness Book of World Records as the shortest man in the world.

“It’s a land of wonders, come and visit us - that’s my message for the world in China,” she says.

Besides an alumna from India, Sanjukta is also one of the ambassadors of Nepal Tourism Board, which will use the one year she holds her title to promote Nepal as a prime tourism destination next year, to be celebrated as Nepal Tourism Year 2011 when a million visitors are expected.

Sanjukta’s elder sister Shlesma is also a Welham old girl and the two sisters plan to collaborate for a career.

“My sister is learning dress designing and we are interested in creating our own brand,” Sanyukta says. “I am studying Business at St. Xavier’s College and I hope to look after the business side once I graduate.”

(Sudeshna Sarkar can be contacted at sudeshna.s@ians.in)