In the annual ‘Malayali Manka – Kerala Sreeman’ competition conducted by TechnoparkToday, Ms. Meera Mathew, lead knowledge officer, ICTAK, emerged victorious and became Malayali Manka 2022. Mr. Kailas Karthikeyan, assistant manager of projects, ICTAK, emerged as the second runner-up of Kerala Sreeman 2022 and Ms. Unnimaya V.C., creative associate at ICTAK, advanced till the semifinals.
As you look around your office, you may wonder, “Who are the people who stand out and make a difference?” They are the ones who are constantly pushing themselves and the boundaries of what is possible. They are the ones that are always looking for new ways to do things and are not afraid to take risks. They are the trailblazers.
“How many constituencies are there in Kerala?” asked the judges in the final round for the Malayali Manka-Kerala Sreeman competition at Technopark in T’puram, to Ms. Meera Mathew, a finalist in the Malayali Manka segment. Ms. Meera didn’t upset a dais, which expects genuine answers from its contestants. “I don’t have much general knowledge, and I place a higher value on imparting knowledge to my students in their fields of study. However, I will make the necessary efforts to improve my general awareness in the future.” Judges fascinated by the candidness of Meera, the lead knowledge officer at the ICT Academy of Kerala (ICTAK), garnered her the title of Malayali Manka of Technopark 2022.
“I was able to prove myself by shattering the barriers of self-doubt and low self-confidence by participating in the Malayali Manka contest.” Ms. Unnimaya V.C., one of the semifinalists in the competition, said with bright smiling eyes. Unnimaya, the creative associate at ICTAK, was overwhelmed with happiness and added that if we can break barriers of self-doubts created by us in our minds, nothing can stop us from going ahead. Though a beginner’s puzzlement was evident throughout the different stages of the Malayali Manka competition, Unnimaya managed everything smoothly, which boosted her confidence to another level.
“My childhood dream came true,” said Mr. Kailas Karthikeyan, the second runner-up of the Kerala Sreeman contest. Kailas, the assistant manager of projects at ICTAK, always loved ramp walks and modeling. “I firmly believe I have the demeanor to be on the ramps, and my inner voice helped me recognize my passion,” he added. “In a competition like this, where they evaluate our attitude, confidence, knowledge, and skill sets, it’s all about not giving up and how you present yourself, not what you say,” Kailas said constructively.
Their Journey
The artistic experiences of Meera, Unnimaya, and Kailas served as their inspiration for participating in competitions like this one. However, the continuing motivation from their friends bolstered their spark even further. Yet again, they proved the quote by Winston Churchill true; “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”
The wild card entry
Fashion shows and ramp walks are some of Meera’s passions. She used to participate in small internal events as a model during her time in college and during her professional tenure at Allianz. And besides, after winning the ICTAK’s Malayali Manka competition at an in-house Onam celebration this year, she became even more ambitious. It became one of the stepping stones to becoming the Malayali Manka of Technopark.
“What’s it like to win a contest after being given a wild card entry”? asks Meera. “Before reaching the semifinals, I got eliminated. However, one of the contestants withdrew at the last minute, making me a wild card entry,” her voice was breaking while narrating her journey. Meera’s journey, which took her from the brink of failure to the pinnacle of success, is incredibly motivating.
Breaking the self-doubts
For Unnimaya, though fashion is not her passion, she loves hosting events and shows. Her modest college experiences gave her the confidence to face a large audience in this Malayali Manka competition. Though she couldn’t make it into the finals, she doesn’t regret it since the platform enabled her to be herself without regard for beauty or standards. For this competition, she made her very first Instagram reel, which she will treasure.
“After each stage, I realized that I can do anything if I come out by breaking the image I’ve created about myself,” Unnimaya reiterated. Although as naive, she experienced some uncertainty during each phase of the competition, but she handled everything smoothly, which elevated her optimism.
‘My decisions form my destiny.’
While registering for the Kerala Sreeman competition, Kailas closed the registration halfway multiple times. For him, there were many reasons to give up. However, Kailas, a movie enthusiast, always tries to live by the famous Dulquer Salmaan quote, “എന്റെ വിധി, എന്റെ തീരുമാനങ്ങളാണ്…” (my decisions form my destiny). So he decided to do ‘something’ in his life, which resulted in him finishing as the second runner-up in the Kerala Sreeman contest. He enjoyed the process and treated each stage as a learning opportunity. “It all comes down to taking the first step. Then everything will fall into place,” he emphasized.
Friends in deed
“Our friends cum colleagues were our supporters,” said all three univocally. Athira, Nithya, Aishwarya, Crispin, Sameer, Sabari, and Akhil, the ICTAK associates, unconditionally supported the ICTAK contestants, doing everything from raising the number of likes on individual Instagram posts to helping out in the last-minute rush before the competition.
TechnoparkToday organized the ‘Malayali Manka-Kerala Sreeman’ contest, which had nearly eighty contestants in the first round. Forty two of them advanced to the grand finale, which took place on December 4, 2022, at the C-DAC Auditorium. Elixr Labs sponsored the event, supported by Xilligence, Reflections, SEATO, and Deeshna.
