While Manasa Varanasi, an engineer from Telangana, was named winner of the VLCC Femina Miss India World 2020 pageant, Manya Singh was declared runner-up. The latter won numerous hearts as well after she opened up about her journey to success.

"My blood, sweat, and tears have amalgamated into courage to pursue my dreams," Manya Singh, an autorickshaw driver's daughter, had mentioned in a post shared by Miss India's official Instagram handle. Born in Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh, Manya Singh talked about the several nights she had spent without food or sleep. She was unable to attend school as she had to start working during her teenage years in order to meet the family's basic necessities. "All the clothes I had were hand-me-downs. I yearned for books, but luck wasn't in my favour. Eventually, my parents mortgaged whatever little jewellery my mother had to ensure that I paid my exam fees in order to earn a degree. My mother has suffered a lot to provide for me," Manya Singh reportedly shared with Miss India in December 2020.

Adding that she ran away from her house when she was 14, the model said that all was possible if one was committed to himself/herself and his/her dreams. "I somehow managed to complete my studies in the day, became a dishwasher in the evening, and worked at a call centre at night. I've walked hours to reach places so I could save the rickshaw fare," she stated. Posting pictures of Manya and her father on her Instagram stories, south Indian actress Samantha shared the message, "Imagine. Create. Inspire." Several other celebrities, including Amy Jackson and Varun Dhawan, congratulated Manya Singh as well.