21-year-old Tenzin Paldon, hailing from Karnataka has been crowned Miss Tibet 2017. 22-year-old Tenzin Khechoe was the first runner up, while Tenzin Nordon from Himachal Pradesh secured second runner up.
A total of nine beautiful Tibetan young women participated in the contest held at Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (TIPA) in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh.
Tenzin Paldon is very pleased to get the Miss Tibet crown. She said that this title will help her spread awareness about the cause of Tibet and also provide her a platform to raise the issue of Tibet across the globe.
Paldon has been awarded a cash prize of Rs. one lakh, while the first and second runner ups are given Rs. 50,000 and Rs. 25,000 cash prize respectively.
The pageant first started in the year 2002 and this was the 15th Miss Tibet Pageant. This year, the pageant saw the highest number of contestant with nine Tibetan beauties competing for the crown.
The Miss Tibet Pageant faces objections from within the Tibetan community as well as the Chinese government. The Tibetan community is deeply religious and conservative and objects to the pageant on moral grounds. China’s objections are more political as it views Tibet as a territory of China and objects to Tibetan citizens participating in international competitions.
(With inputs from ANI)