Madhesh Province has won the “Miss Nepal” title for the second time. A few years after Nikita Chandak became “Miss Nepal World,” Arya Nishaant was declared “Miss Nepal International 2026” last week.
Soft-spoken and easygoing, Arya Nishaant is a fashion model and education activist. She will represent the country at the international “Miss International” pageant to be held in Japan on November 25.
Speaking to Onlinekhabar, she said that after winning the “Miss Nepal” crown, a weight of responsibility has been added to her shoulders. She says her duty to raise the country’s prestige on the international stage has grown.
“After the crown came onto my head, for a moment I felt like I was in a dream,” she says. “I felt a big responsibility had been added. I will be known as Nepal on the international stage. There’s pride in that, and it’s also a bigger responsibility.”
She says she entered the competition determined to give her best.
“I went in telling myself I’d give my best without comparing myself to others and without expecting anything. It’s a matter of fortune. I didn’t focus on the result; even if I hadn’t won, I wouldn’t have gone home sad. I’m happy that I won,” she says.
She believes that becoming “Miss Nepal” will expand the audience that wants to listen to and watch her. She says winning the title won’t change her personal nature, but it does add the responsibility of representing the country.
She says the “Miss Nepal” crown isn’t just a crown studded with diamonds; the expectations of every Nepali are tied to it too.
“It’s not merely a diamond-studded crown; every Nepali’s expectations will be attached to it. When I go to the international stage, I’ll have to represent in a way that satisfies everyone,” she says.
On the “Miss International” stage in Japan, she said she would try to convey that Nepal is not only the land of Everest and Buddha but also carries certain values.
“I want people to understand that Nepal isn’t just the land of Everest and Buddha, that we Nepalis are sociable, that we treat guests as gods, and that it’s also the land of the Gorkhas,” she says. “I’ll try to reflect those values in my own personality too.”
She says she has been influenced and inspired by the personalities of past “Miss Nepal” titleholders.
“Certainly, Miss Nepal is the biggest platform among the country’s beauty pageants. Whoever becomes Miss Nepal, it shows in her personality that she is Miss Nepal. That’s why I joined pageantry,” she said.
She believes the biggest lesson she learned on the journey from auditions to winning the crown was not to give up.
“Sometimes life brings a lot of challenges. If you make a mistake, if something goes wrong, you shouldn’t let it hurt you. Get up every day and try to give your best,” she advises.
She recounted stumbling on stage in the round after the audition, saying that falling isn’t the problem.
“Falling isn’t the problem; what matters is getting back up after falling. Being able to get up and keep walking is the real victory,” she says.
Arya Nishaant says the work of former Miss Nepal titleholders, including Nikita Chandak and Shrinkhala Khatiwada, has inspired her.
“The love they received and the name they made for themselves on international platforms, their journeys have inspired me,” she says.
A business finance student, Arya Nishaant wants to move forward with work that brings equal access to education.
“Besides Miss Nepal, my dream is to work toward equal access to education. I want to run a business in a non-profit way,” she says.
She says she plans to raise the agenda of quality education, one of the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals, at the Miss International competition. Finally, she offered advice to today’s younger generation: “Draw your own life’s path, seize opportunities, don’t give up, dreams do come true.”
