Misha Bharti, Delhi
The time when the fans groove to the tunes of the hit K-Pop and K-Drama songs finally arrived in Delhi with the Regional Round of the K-Pop India Contest 2020 being held on July 31. A much-awaited event, it saw fans from all over the country tuning into Instagram to watch the performances of the participants.
A cultural feast, the yearly event reiterates the fact that dance is the hidden language of the soul, and music is the strongest form of emotion, as it provides a platform to the fans to showcase their talent that transcends language and boundaries.
For the Delhi Regional Round, the Korean Culture India Fan Club (KCIFC) collaborated with the Embassy of the Republic of Korea, Korea Tourism Organization, and Samsung, who were the proud partners. The sponsors of this event were Limese Connect and K-Pop Merch, while Hallyuism was the media partner.
This year, the Online and Regional Rounds of the K-Pop India Contest 2020 were held on the online platform. These steps were taken as precautionary measures issued by the Government of India that aim to control the spread of COVID-19. Despite the pandemic, the contest witnessed the participation of K-Pop fans in large numbers.
For the Delhi Regional Round, 35 participants were chosen after a grilling Online Round. For the Vocal category, Ms. Sparsh Bajpai, who had represented India in the World Korean Pop Music Festival in Seoul, was part of the jury along with Ms. Jincy Jacob, who was the All India Winner (Vocal) in 2017. As for the Dance category, Ms. Rachna Bhagat, whose group ‘Lokalz Crew’ won the Grand Finale in 2019 (Dance), and Mr. Ashish Dhankhar, whose group ‘We Are Family’ won in 2018, were the judges.
The contest witnessed mesmerising performances by the participants on some memorable songs by groups such as EXO, BTS, ITZY, and ATEEZ, among others, while the vocal performances included songs such as Lee Hi’s ‘Breathe’, TWICE’s ‘Fancy’ and ‘Feel Special’, BTS’ ‘Answer: Love Myself’, Younha’s ‘Winter Flower’ (ft. RM), IU’s ‘Lost Child’, and other melodic tunes. In all, it was a musical treat for the viewers.
Ahead of the Delhi Regional Round, the organisers had also announced a wide range of competitions, such as poetry competition, dance and singing competitions, and giveaways, for the audience. The sponsors, Limese Connect, also announced a skin-care-product giveaway worth Rs. 20,000/-.
The contest was immensely enjoyed by everyone, and we hope that such events will be organised every year, where Indian fans of K-Pop can get opportunities to show their talent.
We would also like to thank the Korean Cultural Centre India, Korean Culture India Fan Club, our partners—the Embassy of the Republic of Korea, Korea Tourism Organization, and Samsung, our sponsors—Limese Connect and K-Pop Merch, Hallyuism as media partner, the participants, and the audience for making this event a huge success.
Wohoo . Though it is lockdown and we can’t move around but the contest was organised so well even in this pandemic .