INGE HANSEN
Brisbane student, Nibedita Pal has been named Miss India Australia 2015 allowing her to compete for the Miss India Worldwide title against 35 contestants.
Miss Pal, 20, is in her third year of university studying a Bachelor of Communications at Griffith University, and took a short break to follow her dreams.
Bollywood talent consultant and founder of Miss India Australia Raj Suri, mentored Miss Pal and said he is very proud her achievements.
“I reckon Nibedita is a quick learner and has great potential to go further to achieve her dreams.”
The pageant sees Indian women from around the globe audition for the title of “Miss India” in their respective country before traveling to Mumbai to compete for the world title.
Contestants are judged on their appearance, voice quality, intelligence, speech, walk, and their life goals.
Over forty women from Australia competed for the title and of the ten finalists, Nibedita was given the Miss India Australia title.
Miss Pal said the process was incredibly fast paced.
“I was told I was selected in the in the top ten finalists on the 25th of August and then I flew to Sydney on the 28th and was crowned Miss India Australia,” she said.
“Next thing I knew I was flying to India the very next night!”
The contestants spent five days rehearsing and attending workshops where they were taught to walk, talk and what was required for the pageant by industry professionals.
Of the 35 contests, five finalists were selected and of them, Miss India Oman won the title with Miss India India coming in second and Miss India South Africa taking third place.
Aside from performing, dressing up and being a part of the finale, Miss Pal said working with inspiring individuals was her highlight.
“Getting to interact with so many celebrities and performing for such a respected crowd was an honour, but really the whole journey was amazing,” she said.
“I will definitely miss our rehearsals where we learned our choreography from a very famous and respected choreographer, Mr Sandip Soparrkar, apart from the final rehearsals, working with him was my highlight.”
For now, Miss Pal is focusing on her completing her degree but plans to enter the entertainment industry in India in the future.
The Miss India Australia 2015 “Public Choice” subtitle winner will be announced on 16 September 2015.