E-Paper
Miss Nepal '09 held successfully despite Maoist threats
Unfazed by Maoist threats, Fem Miss Nepal '09 was held here without any disruption by the former rebels who had protested against the event's sponsor Dabur Nepal last year.
Unfazed by Maoist threats, Fem Miss Nepal '09 was held here without any disruption by the former rebels who had protested against the event's sponsor Dabur Nepal last year.
20-year-old Zenisha Moktan, won the crown of 'Fem Miss Nepal 2009', while Richa Thapa Magar (23) was the first runner-up and Kunchan Moktan Tamang (20) second runner-up in the contest.
Interestingly, even the local media was unaware that Fem Care Pharma, the main sponsor of the beauty pageant, was a brand of Dabur Nepal, a subsidiary of Dabur India.
Dabur Nepal, the main sponsor of last year's pageant, had suffered a loss of Rupees 1 million due to cancellation of the show after protests by Maoist affiliated All Nepal Free Women's Organization (Revolutionary).
Fearing Maoists' intervention, the organisers had also done away with the swim-suit round in this year's show.
"We had encouraged ethnic dress as the main objective of the event was to promote ethnic culture and tradition and to empower the women," Dabur Nepal's chief Udayan Ganguli said.
In fact, the show came as a surprise to the pro-Maoist women activists who were against Dabur as they felt that Nepalese girls were being exploited by the Indian multi national company.
