Fortune favours the brave, they say. And Ranchi girl Riya Tirkey would be in full agreement with this age-old adage. Seven successive years of failure at the Miss India auditions didn’t dampen her spirit or deter her from pursuing her much-cherished goal of participating in the coveted beauty pageant.
Luck too played a role in her journey finally. The original State winner Sneha George withdrew from the contest “due to unforeseen circumstances” paving the way for Tirkey to enter the contest as her replacement.
The pageant annually selects representatives to compete in Miss World, one of the Big Four major international beauty pageants. While Sini Shetty from Karnataka bagged the crown, Tirkey lost out in the grand finale held at the Jio Centre in Mumbai on Sunday (July 3).
Tirkey hails from a middle-class family. Her father being a banker, she had the opportunity of living and studying in different parts of the country. She completed her 10th from Vivekanand Vidya Mandir, Ranchi and her BBA from PB Sidharth College, Vijaywada. She was an average student academically and found herself more connected to animals than studies in her childhood. It was her mother, a homemaker, who inspired her to believe in the magic of hard work. This changed her life as she set up goals to achieve and strived relentlessly towards pursuing them.
At the pageant, she defined herself as a “blend of wisdom, realism and humour”. She said, she wants to use the Miss India platform to help uplift the Indian tribals and strengthen the country. Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren termed her achievement a proud moment and extended his best wishes to her.
“Back in 2000, Jharkhand and Bihar got separated. Jharkhand was declared an independent entity, the land of tribals. Still, they are facing hurdles to progress and establish their identity. I had faced a problem getting admission to the school just because I am a tribal. This provoked me to do something out of the box. Being the first tribal girl to represent Jharkhand is a huge achievement and pride to my community,” Tirkey said, narrating her story.
She said she wants to inspire the next generation and bring out a difference in her tribal community. “This is what pushes me to participate in the Femina Miss India 2022 contest. Having been chosen as one of the finalists, I truly feel as if a dream has come true. My success is proof that a single chance can alter the course of your entire life,” she outlined.
“I aspire to be an entrepreneur who can promote tribal culture along with a long-term, environmentally friendly way of living,” Tirkey, who is also a model and actor by profession, maintained.
“Stop competing with time because life isn’t about materialistic happiness. It is about opportunities that come by. Have faith and patience, and never lack in your potential,” she has a word of advice for her contemporary youth.
