Read the exclusive interview of Srichchha Pradhan with The Buzz Nepal team.

Crowned Miss Nepal World 2023 and a proud participant of the 72nd Miss World, Srichchha Pradhan is far more than a beauty queen. With a heart rooted in environmentalism, a vision grounded in culture, and a spirit full of compassion, she introduces herself first and foremost as an environmentalist and an animal lover – roles she has embraced since a young age.

“I would first like to introduce myself as an environmentalist because I have been involved in environmental work since a very young age, an animal lover, and I’m trying to see how I can bring culture and nature together,” says Srichchha Pradhan, Miss Nepal World 2023 and a participant at the 72nd Miss World pageant.

“Only then I would like to describe myself as Miss World Nepal, and also a Miss World participant since I have recently participated. It has given me such a fresh perspective and it has really challenged my advocacy and how I want to bring forth what I have been fighting for, working for – in more creative and more modern ways.”

Srichchha in Three Words

Srichchha describes herself in three words: kind, visionary, and entrepreneurial.

“One will be kind because I have learned a lot from dogs and animals – to be kind and empathetic. Second word will be very visionary, in the sense that I don’t like to follow the norm. I like to reinvent what I’m meant to do. I want to reinvent systems. And the third would be entrepreneurial, because I have a lot of ideas – but that is what I have to work on. Since childhood, I have had a lot of problems in time management. Time management, organizing, and economic systems don’t come to me naturally. It’s what I lack at this point of my life, and I am eager to improve them.”

A Transformative Journey

Looking back on her journey from Miss Nepal to the global Miss World stage, she shares, “It has taught me to be extremely positive in life. We’ve trued to tailor all aspects of our journey to be eco-friendly and eco-conscious rather than limiting to how things are perceived at surface level. Be it through our compostable dresses or non-anthropocentric videos. It has come with its own unique challenges, but it has taught me to take the outcomes positively and continue my work and ways.”

“It’s one of the challenging moments of my life. And I knew that if I handle such situations positively, I could achieve so much more in life.”

Passion for the Planet

Her passion for sustainability and environmental activism traces back to childhood. “My birthday falls around World Environment Day. During those periods, plantations were done in the community, which developed an attitude in me that made me feel responsible for protecting plants from a young age. Similarly, I was always interested in animals, especially dogs. I was surrounded by a lot of nature. I have been working with many environmental organizations, and my interest grew in it as well. Later, my school work also focused on the same field, which made me dive into the field even more. And for the longest time, I’ll be focusing on it.”

Pancha Pranali: A Cultural-Environmental Mission

When asked about her much-talked-about initiative Pancha Pranali, Srichchha expresses its depth and significance. “Pancha Pranali cannot be explained in a few sentences, for it’s a kind of initiative that took a year even for the office to understand. To put it, “It’s an initiative – if not started now, it’ll be too late. What does our culture hold to the world? Why only show the weakness of Nepal, why do we complain about its poverty? Let’s not do that – instead, focus on solutions. And while searching for the solution, Pancha Pranali was founded.”

“Pancha Pranali is not my initiative. It’s our ancestors’- like the prayer flags, Chiba Dya – they are based on five colors and five elements. At the heart of it is compassion. So if you are able to incorporate that, we can create initiatives where we don’t try to save someone but celebrate the existence. Simply, Pancha Pranali is an initiative to celebrate the existence of Nepal and its species.”

She likens the initiative to Sustainable Development Goals: “Just like SDGs, Pancha Pranali is our sustainability framework which existed much long ago in our communities. And we are trying to bring that up because we believe that would be more successful. Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Space are the five elements of Pancha Pranali and how these five elements come together to form nature. So, any product that honors these five elements falls under Pancha Pranali.”

When Failure Leads to Purpose

“There are many,” she says, when asked if any failure later became a blessing. “I think the reason why I joined Miss Nepal was because I felt that I failed at some point in my college. Not in academics, but in a sense that I didn’t give myself an opportunity to speak in a platform due to shyness. That made me feel like a failure for not being able to share my purpose. It also became a realization that I cannot fail to share my purpose of life, so I joined Miss Nepal to make sure I keep sharing it.”

Pressure and Perfection

Surprisingly, she doesn’t feel the pressure to be “perfect” as a public figure. “Not really. Imperfection is appealing to the audience. It makes it more relatable to the people. During my childhood, I was a perfectionist. But time management has always been a problem to me. Due to time management problems, I used to miss the school bus many times. That is why since a young age, I’ve been teaching myself how to allow myself to be imperfect. So, I don’t feel pressure to be perfect right now as well.”

A Message to Everyone

“Currently I’m trying not to take life seriously. I want everyone to have fun in their life. I haven’t laughed till my stomach hurts in a long time. We shouldn’t ruin the moment of each day no matter how serious life gets. The environmental and climate problems, the plastics; they make me sad and stressed out in life. I have been working for it for decades. I cannot let myself drown in sadness because of that. So, I just ask everybody to have fun.”

Srichchha Pradhan reminds us that it’s okay to be imperfect, to laugh through the chaos, and to care deeply – for nature, culture, and each other. Her journey is just getting started, and it’s already one to watch.

Article compiled by: Anjali Nakarmi

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