Urgent concerns regarding lack of unfulfilled promises and lack of transparency and accountability in Miss Sikkim pageant

Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor,

I am writing to bring to public attention a deeply disappointing experience that raises serious questions about the integrity and fairness of the Miss Sikkim beauty pageant.

With immense pride and dedication, I participated in the Miss Sikkim 2024 pageant investing countless hours of preparation, personal sacrifices, and significant financial support from my family. I competed with grace, heart, and every ounce of effort, ultimately securing the position of 2nd Runner-Up. This achievement was not just a personal milestone but a moment of honour for Sikkim and its young women who dare to dream big.

However, to my profound dismay, the promised entitlements—particularly the cash prize associated with the 2nd Runner-Up position, along with the opportunities for exposure, representation and professional growth that were explicitly outlined during the competition—have not been honoured. Despite repeated follow-ups, I have been consistently sidelined, ignored, silenced and effectively pushed aside once my role in promoting the event had served its purpose. What began as a platform for empowerment has, in my case, turned into a source of disillusionment and financial strain.

This is not merely an isolated incident concerning one individual. It appears to reflect a troubling pattern within this pageant organization in our state, where young women from modest backgrounds enter these competitions with genuine hope, entrusting their time, energy, dreams, and family resources to a system that promises integrity, fairness, and rewards. When such promises are broken—through non-delivery of prizes, lack of follow-through on opportunities, or selective treatment—it erodes trust in the entire process. It undermines the aspirations of every girl who participates, perpetuating a cycle that discourages genuine talent and reinforces perceptions of corruption or mismanagement behind the glamour.

Beauty pageants, when conducted ethically, can be powerful platforms for confidence-building, cultural representation, and personal development—especially in a state like Sikkim, where such opportunities are limited. Yet, when organizers exploit participants’ hard work without accountability, they betray the very spirit they claim to uphold.

I respectfully urge the pageant organizers to immediately address these unfulfilled commitments and provide transparency regarding prize structures, disbursement processes, and post-event support. More broadly, I call upon relevant authorities, including consumer forums, women’s commissions, or state bodies overseeing events and competitions, to investigate such practices and ensure safeguards for participants.

I also appeal to the people of Sikkim, fellow participants, and the media to stand in solidarity with young women who enter these contests in good faith. Our dreams and sacrifices deserve respect, not exploitation.

Thank you for providing a platform to voice this concern. I hope this letter sparks constructive dialogue and leads to meaningful reforms, so that future participants can compete with confidence in the fairness of the system.

Yours etc,

Yodenla Bhutia,

Miss Universe Sikkim 2nd Runners Up 

And Miss Popular Title Holde