For Britta B Battogtokh, Miss Mangolia and Miss Earth 2020, the journey from a small and non-descriptive countryside of Mangolia was just not her individual feet. Her representation of Mangolia on an international beauty contest in 2020 and being crowned Miss Earth was continuation of trend of a well established beauty contest industry in Mangolia which started in 2005 and winning many international beauty titles since.
A strong representation of Mangolia in international beauty peagents has played a significant part in bringing this small country in eastern Asia with a population of around 33.5 lakh to a world map of beauty industry. Therefore for Britta, getting an opportunity to represent Mangolia through fashion ramp for the geopolitical reasons due to her country’s rich heritage of being an important part of ancient silk route, is a matter for pride and also establishment of the fact that “she has a role beyond beauty business”, maintains Britta.
Invitation to be the showstopper at the fashion show of G-20 country’s beauty queens held in Ladakh in last week of September, has not been just another professional assignment for Britta given the fact that Mangolia is not part of G 20. While Mangolia’s presence in the fashion show of beauty pageants from G 20 countries may have diplomatic and geopolitical reasons, for Britta, excited for her maiden visit to New Delhi, after having travelled to 50 odd countries since winning the Miss Earth title, “it is like life coming full circle”.
Journey from countryside to scaling world
Life in the Gobi desert of the countryside of Mongolia was a world apart from what Britta represents today but she from within her heart is still, “that little girl who would wake up early during harsh winters of Mongolia and warm up her house and wake up her siblings who would then go to school”. Britta insists, she still is that little girl whose mother, a school teacher, would insist on paying attention to education for gaining everything good in life.
Although she admits that she couldn’t do great in academics, she insists whatever she is today is because of nothing but the education because it was due to her mother who got a chance to move to the city when she got a prestigious job as a physics teacher in high school that her life dramatically changed. “Moving to the city was a huge transition”, says Britta, as their life changed from a simple, with little needs to more luxuries and materialistic and it was when she moved to China for education at the age of seventeen that a dramatic change came to her life.
Having won Miss Mongolia and Miss Earth title she says she got a chance to talk about her journey and the role of education in her life’s transition-even though not directly but due to her mother’s education, during her two years stay in Mongolia during Covid 19 pandemic. “It was an opportunity for me to talk during my TV shows and programs how every girl can chase her dream from a small country like Mongolia, only through education, if she believes in her”.
Big leap as a showstopper in G-20 fashion show
Chance to be part of the documentary project ‘vibrant Ladakh’ was another turning point in her life as it was extended to an invitation to be part of a fashion show of beauty pageants from G-20 countries which Britta says brought to her new opening to the world.
Representing Mongolia in G-20 fashion show at the height of 19000 square feet in Ladakh among the beauties of 20 other nations gives Britta a sense of bigger purpose which she is serving as she feels she is contributing to the rich legacy of her country by bringing it on the world stage through her work.
She insists she would love to visit India again and again as she feels connect to this land more now.
