Not Your Average Beauty Queen

Morung Express Entertainment   This beauty queens first pageant was a laugh. Wearing heels for the first time at the Miss Mokokchung contest, the choreographer had to beg her to ‘walk like a girl’. She had come for rehearsals straight from a football match. Wanting to bring laurels for her School, she tottered on to win the first runners-up title at the Miss Mokokchung beauty pageant in 2012. A surprising achievement at that time for Imlibenla Wati, who is a self-confessed tomboy at heart.   Till date, her family and friends are surprised that she took up modeling. Her mother especially keeps reminiscing how Imlibenla refused to wear skirt on her first day of school. Her mother had to go to the extent of asking the School Principal to allow her daughter to wear trousers for a month until she got used to the idea of wearing skirts.   Chatting with Imlibenla is a unique experience altogether. One has to keep reminding that she is the title holder of Miss Nagaland 2012, voted “Miss Congeniality” at the Ru Ba Ru Miss India Elite held at New Delhi, and where she won the “World Beauty Queen India” title. Recently, she also represented Nagaland-India at the Mr & Miss Pancontinental in Philippines and won the sub-title of “Miss Tourism & Humanity”. Unlike other beauty queens, Imlibenla’s conversation topics range from football, drumming, bike riding, kickboxing, bullying boys and eating tamul on a bus journey to fend off unwanted male attention. She supplements a quote to explain this: “Old habits die hard, but some habits never die”.   Imlibenla says that she does not believe in “stereotype beauty queens”. She always tries to be spontaneous both onstage and offstage. Her idea of beauty she says is not just about the face but a person is worthy of being called beautiful only when it is both inside and outside.   But life is not easy for a beauty queen. Presently, she is gearing up to represent Nagaland-India at a much bigger platform this time. She is to contest for the “Miss World Beauty Queen” to be held at Seoul, South Korea. Training intensely on diction, fitness, Q & A, etc she along with her managers are on a mission to raise sponsorship for the trip. From travel costs, to trousseau, and contest expenditures, she is left to raise funds on her own.   Feeling the stress and worried about the shortage of time, Imlibenla says, “It is important that you contribute to the society, but it is also important that society supports you in your endeavours, because it is what keeps one going. As cliché as it may sound, all the crowns I have won are not just for my own sake but for Nagaland. And I want to bring a bigger crown for Nagaland. That’s the least contribution I can give to my society”.   To young girls and boys aspiring to follow her footsteps she advises, “It’s not a competition of wealth but talent. We should never pull ourselves back for reasons which are not meant. So, if you think you can do it, go for it. Never hold back but chase your dreams.”   Currently pursuing BA in LLB, once she is done with beauty pageants, Imlibenla has plans to pursue a project which is close to her heart. She wants to create awareness on juvenile issues. “Suicidal cases among youths are increasing in Nagaland. I want to create awareness and spread the message of strength. Because I think, one shouldn’t give up on life so easily. I want to tell the youth to ‘battle your circumstances no matter what”, she says.

  This beauty queen always had a giving heart and loves to share. Another anecdote goes that when she was little, she used to raid her family kitchen and distribute potatoes and tomatoes to neighbors saying her mum sent it even though she hadn’t.   Imlibenla credits her success, so far, to her stubborn nature. She explains, “I’m really stubborn and determined. I told myself I’ll end my journey only after participating on a National platform. So when I contested at the Delhi pageant, I found all the other contestants to be very experienced and well groomed. I had a tough time but I tried my best to adapt to the environment”. But she was often told that she won’t be able to compete on a National platform. “I received more discouragement and less encouragement. But this only fuelled me more to succeed. And now that I’m going to participate in an International platform, I take it as Gods plan because it certainly was not mine,” she says.   Imlibenla Wati is a woman on a mission. She is humble, and intelligent with bagful of fun anecdotes and smart answers. Armed with all this, she is working hard to raise enough sponsorship so she could contest in the “Miss World Beauty Queen” at Seoul, South Korea. She is determined to bring home an international beauty crown!   “To prove that we Nagas can achieve anything in the world,” she says enthusiastically. For now, the ‘Sweetheart of Nagaland’ as she is popularly called, signs off saying she has to go learn how to ride a bike.