Northeast beauty pageant body formed; 1st contest in September

Kohima: Beauty organizations from the eight North East Indian states, on Wednesday, formed the Northeast Beauty Pageant Organisation (NEBPO), a regional beauty pageant body, to empower youth from the region. 

Interacting with journalists after the first general body meeting of the NEBPO, its president Mele Pucho informed that the body was necessitated to provide platforms for the youth. 

With the formation of the new beauty pageant organization, it will soon  be registered at Delhi.

He said that the coming together of the beauty pageant organizations from the region to form the regional body is the first step towards its aim of promoting unity among the people in the region.  

NEBPO finance secretary, Bijay Subba, announced that the first edition of its Miss North East will be conducted in the month of September this year.

The event will begin in Nagaland this year and will next be conducted in Sikkim. 

Winners from the eight state-level beauty contests will compete for the title. The organization will further groom the winner to compete in national and international pageant contests. 

A representative from the Miss Manipur Organisation, Halley Laithangbam shared besides promoting unity among the NE States, there will be cultural exchanges, legitimise and regulate pageantry, and also promote the growth of the beauty and fashion industry. 

With experiences from their respective states, the members assured that the organization will also work towards regularizing the conduct of beauty contests in the region. In this regard, NEPBO assistant general secretary informed that the new organization will set standards for beauty contests and ensure that the youth does not become victims of unethical beauty contests. 

The members emphasized that the new organization will act as an “authentic” pageant body, and will ensure that the right candidates are nurtured for contests beyond the region. 

The organization also aims to promote tourism in the region, engage with the state governments and strengthen the bond of the region.

While its initial focus will be on the contests for women, they also shared their vision to include contests for men in the future. 

According to most members, the lack of sponsorships for conducting beauty contests becomes a huge hindrance for beauty organizations, however, they shared their determination to carry forward the common goal of providing platforms for the youth in the region to excel in the sector. 

The organization also met with adviser to the Chief Minister of Nagaland, Abu Metha, earlier during the day. 

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