KIIT Nanhi Pari's Silver Flight

The Bhagavad Gita speaks of four paths to spiritual fulfilment: Karma Yoga (the path of action), Jnana Yoga (the path of knowledge), Bhakti Yoga (the path of devotion), and Raja Yoga (the path of meditation). I have always believed myself to be a Karma Yogi, finding purpose through selfless action and service.

My professional journey has traversed multiple domains—education, healthcare, tribal empowerment, sports, media, art, cinema, literature, and spiritualism. Each area of contribution has underlined a fundamental truth that genuine transformation occurs when we move beyond celebrating past achievements and remain focused on emerging possibilities.

I have dedicated myself to community outreach initiatives like Art of Giving, Kanya Kiran, Kalinga Fellowship, India Against Negativity, Education for All, New Minds New Dreams, Health Empowerment of Rural Odisha, and KIIT Kares, besides my regular work.

Among my various endeavors, KIIT Nanhi Pari holds particular significance as the oldest continuous program.

Twenty-five years ago, social worker Mr. Malay Mohapatra approached me with a compelling vision to create a platform where adolescent girls could explore their inherent capabilities. The ancient Sanskrit text Manusmriti articulates a profound principle: "Yatra naryastu pujyante ramante tatra devataḥ," meaning where women receive honor, divinity manifests.

With zero registration fees and complete institutional support for transportation, lodging, meals, and professional training, we ensured that every participant, irrespective of socioeconomic background, could recognize her legitimate place in this forum. Thus began Nanhi Pari, and the rest is history.

Today, KIIT Nanhi Pari functions as India's most comprehensive talent platform for girls aged 13 to 16. Over 15,000 participants have engaged with the program across 25 years, with over 5,000 registrations received this year alone.

This Silver Jubilee edition, to be held on December 22-23, brings together 35 finalists from auditions conducted in 25 cities nationwide, with the Grand Finale extending across three days in Bhubaneswar under complete institutional sponsorship. However, quantitative measures represent only partial outcomes.

Ms. Snigdha Malviya, our 2023 winner from Uttar Pradesh, articulates how Nanhi Pari fundamentally altered her self-perception, while Ms. Dilishaa Behera, crowned in 2024, discovered previously unrecognized capacities within herself.

What distinguishes KIIT Nanhi Pari from comparable initiatives is our fundamental rejection of reductionist approaches to young women's assessment. Our ten categories acknowledge diverse forms of excellence: Miss Whizkid recognizes intellectual achievement, Miss Active celebrates athletic capability, Miss Urvashi honors multifaceted talent, and Miss Personality rewards cognitive acuity and communication proficiency.

Each category deliberately communicates that individual worth transcends singular metrics of evaluation. The financial commitment reflects our institutional priorities, with this year's prize pool totalling Rs56 lakhs, unprecedented in our history.

The winner receives Rs28 lakhs, while the first and second runners-up receive Rs14 lakhs and Rs12 lakhs respectively. Each category winner receives Rs20,000.

KIIT Nanhi Pari integrates with our broader developmental framework, including programs such as Kanya Kiran and Kalinga Fellowship. Societies are measured not by the monuments we build but by the confidence we instill in our daughters.

Over the years, KIIT Nanhi Pari has demonstrated that when young women receive resources, recognition, and belief, they redefine what success means. When a thirteen-year-old girl from a remote district walks onto the stage, she carries with her the dreams of countless women who came before her and the possibilities of generations yet to come.

I believe every girl arrives with wings; society's responsibility is not to grant flight but to remove the weights that prevent it. KIIT Nanhi Pari does not shape exceptional young women; it reveals the light they have always carried. India's daughters were never powerless - they only awaited belief. KIIT Nanhi Pari and I dare to offer that belief.

(The writer is the Founder of KIIT, KISS & KIMS)