Odia girl Maitri Manali bags KIIT Nanhipari-Little Miss India 2016 title

Bhubaneswar: Style, compassion, talent, intelligence and elegance were at its best as teenage models took the ramp in the 16th Nanhipari- Little Miss India talent beauty pageant, which concluded at KiiT International School in Bhubaneswar on Friday.

Thirty-two young girls between 13-16 years shortlisted for semi-final round from regional auditions from Guwahati, Lucknow, Kolkata, Patna, Bhubaneswar, Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Hyderabad faced several competitions during the two-day event.

In the Grand Finale, Maitri Manali Pradhan from Bhubaneswar crowned KIIT Nanhipari- Little Miss India 2016. Dipanwita Dey of Kolkata and Swayamprabha Dalabehera of Mumbai were crowned first runner-up and 2nd runner-up respectively. The top three also received a cash award of Rs. 3 lakh, Rs. 1 lakh and Rs. 50,000 respectively, along with the silver crown, trophy, and certificates.

Many other titles were decided in the final round such as, Miss Rapunzel – girl with most beautiful hair, Miss Photogenic – girl with best pose in photoshoot round, Miss Selfie  – Maximum likes on facebook page, Miss Fashion  girl with best costume in both rounds,  Miss Whizkid girl with highest marks in quiz round, Miss Cinderella  girl having best personality, Miss Urvasi girl with Best Talent, Miss Catwalk girl with best ramp walk, Miss Monalisa most beautiful girl with most beautiful smile and Miss Active  – most active girl in sports round and got a cash prize of 10 thousand each.

Renowned music director Goodly Rath, Rekha Khan, Feature editor, Nav Bharat times; Shriti Vyakaran, Miss Asia Pacific; Suprit Kaur Miss India UN; Hera Bin, representative of Korean Cosmetic company were the jury members while, Priyadarshi Mishra, MLA; Dr. Achyuta Samanta, Chief Patron of KIIT Nanhipar; Malay Mohapatra, Patron; L. N. Gupta, Secretary, Dept of MSME, Govt of Odisha; Manoranjan Panigrahi, Secretary, Culture, Govt. of Odisha were also present on the occasion.

Many attractive prizes were introduced in the 16th edition of the competition this year. The Prize Money for the winner is Rs. 21 lakh – Rs. 3 lakh cash prize and 100% academic fee waiver subject to a maximum of Rs. 18 lakh for studying in any discipline in KIIT University. The 1st Runners Up would win Rs.10 lakh – Rs. 1 lakh cash prize and 50% academic fee waiver subject to a maximum of Rs. 9 lakh for studying any discipline in KIIT University. Similarly, the 2nd Runners Up would get Rs. 9.5 lakh – Rs. 50,000/- Cash Prize and 50% academic fee waiver subject to a maximum of Rs. 9 lakh for studying any discipline in KIIT University.

“Nanhipari” is a talent show for teenage girls between the age group of 13-16 years. It had a modest start in 2001 in a remote and small tribal town of Keonjhar District of Odisha. In a short time-span of just 16 years, it has become a national event of repute, touted as the ‘Little Miss India’ competition, the only one of its kind. Patronized by noted visionary, social activist, educationist, Prof. Achyuta Samanta, Founder, KIIT & KISS, the purpose of KIIT Nanhipari Little Miss India is to build an institution and a tradition dedicated to spotting and nurturing the talented young girls to become successful women subsequently in their adulthood.