Thomas Tan
Narvinni Jayakumar, a 21-year-old student at HELP University has won the Miss Petite Universe International Semenanjung 2020 pageant.
Thirteen girls from across Semenanjung (peninsular Malaysia) competed for the title in the grand finale held at Kinrara Resort, Puchong in Selangor on 26th September 2020.
“I’m so happy beyond words to describe. This win was completely unexpected, but I’m also grateful to the judging panel, the MPUI Semenanjung team, mentors and organizer,” said Narvinni who went from surprise to joy when the emcee announced her name as the winner.
She was crowned by Miss Petite Universe International Semenanjung (MPUIS) state director and pageant organizer Ram Saiji.
Standing 158 cm tall (5’ 2”), the petite lady from Selangor also scooped the Miss Advocacy subsidiary title for her advocacy against cyberbullying.
In her Q&A, she was asked: “What would you say to someone that says pageantry is for men that act like women and like smell, and it is to sexualise a certain person.”
Narvinni answered that pageantry was for everybody, regardless of gender.
“We have Mr Planet for men. We have Miss Petite and Miss Universe for women. I do not think it should be limited to men joining pageants being feminine. And I don’t think that it is something that should be sexualised.
“Miss Universe is known throughout the world and the universe. Why are we sexualizing such an event? We are just showing that we are capable of bringing awareness, we are helping people. We are grooming ourselves in terms of physical appearance, in terms of our mental strength and it is something that we should shout about and not something we should sexualize or look down upon,” she said to loud claps of applause.
First runner-up was 28-year-old sales manager Suria Nivarthini @Destiny Chloe from Kuala Lumpur. Second runner-up went to 20-year-old student Tanisha Megaindran from Selangor.
Organized by Sun Production, the competition did away with swimsuit round.
The pageant started off with the traditional costume and followed by the parade of evening gowns. Soon after, the Top 9 was announced and they proceeded for the Q&A round.
After the presentation of subsidiary titles and Brand Ambassador to winners, the competition was narrowed down to Top 7 contestants and followed by the announcement for 2nd runner-up, then 1st runner-up and finally the winner.
The judges for the event were Global Asian Model Malaysia 2019 Melisha Lin, Miss Rainbow Malaysia 2018 Abeeramesswari Shanmugamnathan, Women Support Women (WSW) founder Adriana Dvora, Mrs Classic Universe 2019 second runner-up Ammetta Malhotra, Fashion Talent Modelling Agency founder Gib Idris; and Miss World Malaysia 2015 second runner-up and international certified trainer Melinda Lee.
Ram said the Top 7 finishers will be competing against Sabah and Sarawak winners for the national title of Miss Petite Universe International Malaysia 2020 at the grand finale on November in Miri, Sarawak. The crowned national champion will get the chance to represent the country in the 2020 Miss Petite Universe International 2020 Pageant world final at the end of the year.
In an interview with Citizens Journal Malaysia (CJMY), Narvinni confided that she will now prepare herself for the national grand final.
“I definitely need to start working more on my catwalk. I also need to work out more often and keep myself more fit and in good health.”
“I would love to bring my advocacy to the national level. I plan on creating merchandise to spread awareness and hopefully make a real difference for those experiencing cyberbullying. I think it’s a very important discussion topic right now as cases of cyberbullying have increased significantly ever since the start of the pandemic.”
A strong advocate against cyberbullying, Narvinni, who was once a victim of cyberbullying, is actively helping to grow awareness of the #cybercancelled campaign by collaborating with happywords.co, a youth development organisation.
“We encourage and empower those who have experienced cyberbullying to be bold in speaking up, as well as advocate for a kinder community to reduce the number of cases,” she said.
Narvinni first competed at Miss Malaysia Indian Global in 2018 and finished as a semi-finalist. On her second attempt at pageant, she joined the Miss Petite Universe International Semenanjung to show what petite girls can do with their size and to help people with lesser facilities.
“A lot of pageants have a height limitation which is usually exclusive to individuals that are above 168cm tall in general. Being of a petite size, I wanted to join Miss Petite Universe International Semenanjung because it is a pageant that looks beyond that height limitation and instead provides a voice for women of petite sizes giving a message that we’re just as smart and capable as those that are tall.
“I also wanted a platform to be able to help people. And this platform allows me to do so. It is my soul’s purpose to be an act of service to others. With my advocacy, I hope to reach out in helping others as I have the necessary resources,” she said.
Studying behavioural science at university has been the ultimate ambition for this young lady who wants to become a clinical psychologist.
“I’m currently studying in HELP University and am pursuing my degree in psychology. I chose to study psychology simply because of my core values. I have always wanted to help people. As a curious individual, I always wondered how the human mind works. In our current era, so many individuals are struggling with mental health disorders. Not forgetting the taboo and stigma surrounding it. I hope one day to break that cycle and offer services to those who need it.”
“I learned to always believe in yourself,” Narvinni added, “even when everyone says no, even when nobody believes in you, say yes to yourself and believe in yourself.”
Narvinni loves playing the piano, singing, drawing and reading, and also enjoys gaming in her free time.
Scroll down below for more photos from Miss Petite Universe International Semenanjung 2020 grand final.
MISS PETITE UNIVERSE INTERNATIONAL SEMENANJUNG 2020 WINNERS:
Champion – Narvinni Jayakumar, 21
1st runner-up – Suria Nivarthini @Destiny Chloe, 28
2nd runner-up – Tanisha Megaindran, 20
Subsidiary Titles Winners:
Best Catwalk – Suria Nivarthini @Destiny Chloe, 28
Miss Congeniality – Yamaayah Subadev, 24
Best Traditional Costume – Logeswari Ganesan, 26
Best Advocacy – Narvinni Jayakumar, 21
Miss Fitness – Sylvie Law Sze Wee, 20
Miss Photogenic winner – Tanisha Megaindran, 20
Miss Photogenic 1st runner-up – Logeswari Ganesan, 26
Miss Photogenic 2nd runner-up – Nur’syamimi bt Mohd Ruzaizol, 24
Brand Ambassadors:
Living Young Aesthetic Ambassador – Tanisha Megaindran, 20
Universal Media Ambassador – Logeswari Ganesan, 26
Top 7 Finishers
Sylvie Law Sze Wee, 20
Amanda Tan Pei Fern, 27
Logeswari Ganesan, 26
Narvinni Jayakumar, 21
Tanisha Megaindran, 20
Suria Nivarthini @Destiny Chloe, 28
Hasvitah Megaindran, 22
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