Pralisha Shakya crowned Miss Newa: 1145

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Feb. 18: Pralisha Shakya from Lalitpur has won the title of Miss Newa: 1145 amid a grand finale held at Nepal Academy.  

 Organised by Nepalese Fashion Home, Shakya won the title defeating 19 other contestants.

 Along with the Miss Newa: 1145 title, Shakya received a cash prize of Rs. 100,000 and other various gifts.

Shakya, who graduated in tourism from the Nepal Academy of Tourism and Hotel Management, is currently working in the tourism sector.

 She also won the main title at the Miss Little Newa: 1133 organised by Nepalese Fashion Home in 2013.

 Shakya has been involved in the media for the last decade. In this competition, she also won the Best Nepalese Language Title Award.

Among the 20 contestants from different municipalities and districts of the Kathmandu Valley, Luniba Manandhar from Chandragiri Municipality won the First Runner-Up title, while Lumna Maharjan from Chamati, Kathmandu, won the Second Runner-Up title. 

They received Rs. 25,000 and  Rs. 15,000, respectively, along with various gifts. Divya Laxmi Bajracharya, Campus Chief of Saraswati Multiple Campus, was the chief judge in the competition.  Other judges included Laxman Maharjan, Ratna Bajracharya, Ajar Man Joshi,  Jeebeshwor Lal Shrestha,  Anil Stapit, Dr. Shikshita Shrestha and Miss Newa: 1134 winner Alisha Bajracharya.

Hema Manandhar, president of Nepalese Fashion Home, said that the Miss Newa beauty contest is not only about beauty but also an initiative to preserve the art and culture of the Newar community. 

The event was hosted by Rojin Shakya, with choreography by Raju Napit, a Nepalese language and script instructor. The contest was coordinated by Miss Newa: 1141 winner Krisha Maharjan, Miss Newa: 1143 winner Sakina Majarhan, and Social Welfare Ambassador Chief 1143 Timila Maharjan.

The event also honoured Sobit Upreti, chairman of the Upreti Social Service Committee, and senior artist Madandas Shrestha with a Lifetime Achievement Award and a cash prize of Rs.  50,000.