How this Bihar boy became the world's youngest international pageant director at just 19
Bihar boy Nikhil Anand was taken in by the glamorous world of beauty pageants when he was just 10, but a reality check when he was older left him with the desire to create a pageant where the standards are different. Here's how he became the world's youngest beauty pageant director.
Nikhil Anand was all of 10 years old when he watched his first beauty pageant on the television. Like most others, the little boy born in Darbhanga, Bihar, too was struck by the stardom of celebrities and wanted to be part of this glamorous world. How did this Bihari boy become the world's youngest beauty pageant director?
India Today Education spoke to Nikhil Anand, Chairman, Glamanand Entertainment Pvt Ltd, to know more about his journey.
"Honestly, it was the scope of this business and the sense of satisfaction I could attain while working in this industry gave me the courage to start," says Nikhil. He had completed his schooling in Bihar, and went for higher studies to Delhi.
"I made up my mind of not leaving this option as a business opportunity and the privilege to discover young talents which gives me utmost satisfaction," he adds.
How Nikhil's first beauty pageant gave him a reality check
Mr. North India 2013, his first beauty pageant as a model, was an eye-opener for Nikhil Anand. His unforgettable experience tore off the rosy glow of the glamour world he saw on TV and reality knocked on the door.
"The dark side of the fashion industry was shocking to me as it was the first time I discovered that even a man can be asked for a compromise," he says.
This struck a chord with him, and Nikhil vowed to create a company wherein no model would ever be asked to compromise in any way to prove their skills on stage.
"I wanted to enter the industry to make sure that the platforms I provide will never let a contestant be in the compromising spot to win the crown," explains the world's youngest pageant director.
"There are definitely many platforms where it is talent that wins, but it's very rare to find. And, not every successful girl goes through the dark side of the glamour world. Hard work and perseverance makes them achieve that they want to," he adds.
From engineering to forgotten dreams
But Nikhil was very young when the seeds of the passion were sown, and as he got older, like millions of other middle-class Indian kids, he too was swept up by the much-adulated prospects of engineering and joined an engineering college.
But despite his mechanical engineering degree, the disillusion came quickly with poor placements, and Nikhil made up his mind to go with any better opportunity that came up.
"When I got the idea of launching my own pageant company, I started working on it in no time so that I didn't lose the excitement that had bubbled up inside me," he says.
"We are passionate about many things, and only those things work which we make it work and I made my passion work by time," Nikhil adds.
When no knowledge becomes a blessing
At that time, Nikhil had zero ideas about how the world of beauty pageants worked, but he says that in his case, it came as a boon.
He couldn't talk himself out of his passion by picking up logical reasons to change his plan and thus, he started to work immediately on his plans without thinking of the hurdles that were to come.
"As I had no knowledge of the industry I wasn't aware of the troubles that were to come. It took me two years to be stable but, by then, I had emerged as a strong personality," he says.
The funds to make such a big shift didn't come easy as well. He found himself teaching younger students part-time to make some savings.
And thus, in 2014 was born Glamanand Entertainment Pvt Ltd, Nikhil's very own company for organising fashion events and to provide a platform for the aspiring models.
Acquiring Miss Earth and Miss International beauty pageants
One morning in 2015, a half-asleep Nikhil scrolled through an important email and sat up excitedly, wide awake. He had acquired the pageant of Miss Earth, and Miss International followed the same year as well.
The nondescript boy from Bihar was suddenly pushed into the limelight as he became the world's youngest pageant director to acquire two of the four biggest beauty pageant franchises in the world!
His life overturned in a very short time.
"It wasn't easy and the reward I got after becoming the national director was very satisfying. It was the stepping stone of my journey and it actually started the real journey of building my pageantry empire," he says.
Nikhil Anand's fast rise in the pageant world
Glamanand Supermodel was a national beauty pageant to crown Indian delegates for the international beauty pageants. Mohini Raaj Puniya, an IndoCanadian model from Gurugram won and emerged as the first Glamanand Supermodel India and represented India at Face of Beauty International 2014 which was held in Taiwan the following December.
Glamanand became one of the three biggest events of India within just one year.
Year 2016 came up with bigger achievements as Nikhil took over Miss Teen International which was owned by Enrique Gonzalez of Costa Rica. Miss Teen International is the biggest teen pageant in the world.
Nikhil Anand additionally procured Miss Multinational event even before the principal release could be held in Philippines. He directed Miss Multinational 2017 where Sophia Senoron from Philippines was crowned as the first winner of Miss Multinational.
The young pageant director is marching ahead with a vision to make Miss Multinational one of the biggest pageants in the world.
He plans to add mainland titles to Miss Multinational (for example -- Miss Multinational Asia, Miss Multinational Europe) to enhance the pageant and give more chances to the young ladies.
Moreover, he directed the 22nd edition of Miss Teen International. The event was held in New Delhi in December 2018 and Miss Teen International resumed after four years.
In the same year, Nikhil also started Miss Teen India which is the biggest platform for teenage girls in India to show their talents and become a beauty queen.
What does Nikhil's pageant company look for in a contestant?
Nikhil's Glamanand Supermodel India became one of the three largest beauty pageants in India in just one year. Auditions are carried out all across India and registrations come from all over the country with its online application facility.
"When it comes to choosing the contestants, we look for a girl who will represent the country as a whole and is not only a good model. She should possess a great aura, carry her own identity, and be ready to raise the flag high," says Nikhil.
"Beauty pageant girls are strong women who have brought immense positivity around. The winners have raised millions of dollars worldwide and brought significant changes in the world," he says.
He explains that every pageant has its own advocacy and they work on it with their winners.
"It gives the winner an opportunity to bring change in the society, be the new face for brands and encourage every girl to believe in herself," he says.
So, what does one need to become a great pageant manager?
"I feel that the major thing is -- one needs to forget if the contestant is an experienced girl, a celebrity or a TV personality. Every girl deserves to be judged equally and always remember, the title has great value to make one recognised. Hence, you need to discover the person who will give her best for the country," explains Nikhil Anand.
Future plans as the world's youngest pageant director
Nikhil is presently intending to dispatch his own one of a kind universal show, Mr Multinational.
"Mr Multinational won't be any general male event where the best looking face leaves with the victor's trophy," says Nikhil.
He expressed that the choice of the victor would be done in an exceptionally all-encompassing and arranged approach. As opposed to simply concentrating on the looks and brains of the hopefuls, the association will likewise search for an applicant who could be a good example for the young -- somebody who depicts an ideal picture of a 21st-century honourable man.
"Mr Multinational has a motto 'Confidently Handsome' and we will be strict about it. There will be several parameters to judge the men representing their country," he says.
On being asked about the possibility of seeing pageants for the transgender being directed by him, he said that though pageants for the third gender were being hosted in different parts of the world, it would be a problem in India.
"The major problem in conducting a pageant for the third gender in India is finding sponsors. The world is for all and we must appreciate God's creation and not be a racist by ignoring them as we have examples of many who are transgender and have done significant work," says Nikhil.
"Miss Teen Multinational will also start in January 2020 and it will be our second international teen pageant after Miss Teen International. There are very few standard pageants for teen girls hence I wanted to start Miss Teen Multinational as well," Nikhil says, hoping the multinational pageant will give good competition to the international version which is also owned by him.
This young man from Bihar is giving his best to change how the world of pageants work and get rid of the dark side of the fashion industry. We hope he continues to rise and wish him all the best!
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