Humble Beginnings, Big Dreams: Manisha Sharma’s Journey to Stardom
Classic Mrs. India Globe 2017 winner Manisha Sharma at the event, held at Tivoli Resort, New Delhi, Dec. 18, 2017. (Bilal Naqvi)
“One must dream. If you don’t have a desire to do something, you won’t make an effort to work for it. And once you work hard, there’s no one who can stop you from achieving it,” says Manisha Sharma.
A simple small-town girl from Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, she wasn’t really interested in studies but was always attracted to the world of glamor. Extremely active in school, she participated in all dance and theatre events.
Her father, a professor in an agriculture university, and her mother, a housewife, they wanted their girl to have the best education. There wasn’t much she could do about her passion in glamor, fashion and Bollywood, except she won a few awards in dance and theatre.
Manisha was married by the time she was 21, while still completing her post-graduation.
A mom to two kids, Manisha got busy with her married life. Kids and family were always her first priority. She took good care and raised them well.
As her children grew up, she found free time and joined a playschool as a teacher. And when her daughter left for college, she had enough time for herself.
Her daughter being her best friend, suggested that she should take part in a pageant just to give it a try or maybe explore herself. She was very nervous as she wasn’t exposed to a big platform like this however after getting encouraged by her daughter and some friends, Manisha applied in the Classic Mrs. India Globe pageant 2017.
Manisha took this as an opportunity to showcase her talent and interest in this field. She got selected in the Top 6 after clearing various rounds. Still nervous, Manisha called her daughter before the question and answer round. Her daughter motivated her and gave her the strength to answer confidently.
Then came that last question – “What if you do not win this pageant?”
“We are allowed to take part till the age of 47 and I’m 43 now, so I have 5 years to go. I’m not going anywhere, I’ll take this title the next time,” answered Manisha.
The judges were extremely impressed with this response and the audience gave a big round of applause. She couldn’t believe when the winner was announced, “Mrs. Manisha Sharma.”
At that moment, Manisha could only think of her family, a big support to her throughout her journey. She is grateful to God and her parents for giving her the best upbringing possible, and her husband and children for being that constant motivation.
“A dream. – Just dreamt about it as a girl, thought a little as a grown adult, forgot about it when occupied with other priorities, but didn’t let it die,” says Manisha.
Manisha now models for various magazine shoots and attends events as a jury or panelist. She still teaches at the playschool because of her love for little kids.
“Age is no bar for achieving or dreaming something,” sums up Manisha.
