Nagaland’s Kenei Ritse crowned Miss Northeast 2023

Copy edited by Lipika Roy

Twenty-one-year-old Kenei Ritse of Nagaland was crowned Miss Northeast 2023 after she won the hearts of the judges in the final round. She took home a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh.

Anamika Borah of Assam was the first runner-up, while Mizoram’s Jennifer Renthlei was the second runner-up. Reigning Miss Nagaland Hikali Achumi won the subtitle-Miss Beautiful smile.

Chief Minister of Sikkim, Prem Singh Tamang handed over the cheques and the titles to the winners.

The grand finale was held at Saramsa Garden in Gangtok, Sikkim on Sunday. The event was organised under the banner of North East Beauty Pageant Organisation and hosted by the Sikkim government.

Ritse, who hails from Pfutseromi Village in Phek district of Nagaland is a psychology student at Tetso college. Ritse is also a topper in the university and being an activist in her social work, leading campaigns for mental health. She had earlier won the title of Miss Phek in 2022.

Her sole purpose of participating in beauty pageants is to advocate the people on mental health awareness.

Ritse has so far launched two projects initiated under Beauty with A Purpose (BWAP), both projects were held at Pfutsero town in Phek. Kenei Ritse represented Beauty and Aesthetics Society of Nagaland (Miss Nagaland Organization).

With the help of ‘Team Afti’ and a network of well-known experts, the campaign successfully reached approximately 200 participants from different educational institutions.

With her goal to enhance collective understanding on mental well-being, she wishes to take her project to the next level to help people feel heard, safe and also to remove the stigma around it in the society.

She believes that her new platform will be enable her to help create more opportunities for new projects so that she will be able to reach out to the masses.