K-Pop India Contest 2020: Delhi Regional Round Winners

Prianka Chaudhary and Diya Jain, Delhi

Delhi Regional Round of the K-Pop India Contest 2020 was conducted online on 31st July 2020 at 2 p.m. IST on the organiser’s Instagram, Korean Culture India Fan Club, and was later made available on their YouTube channel of the same name. Here is an excerpt from the statements of the winners of the Dance and Vocal categories and the Regional Round organiser, Korean Culture India Fan Club regarding their experience of this event.

Dance Category

Mr. Vicky Singh (Winner)

Hi! My name is Vicky Singh. I’m 20 years old, and I secured the 1st position in the Delhi Regional Round in the Dance category. Initially, I had prepared for this contest along with my team members, but because of the COVID-19 situation, the rules of the contest were changed. Still, my team members and I participated individually. Seeing other participants’ entries made me nervous but I was lucky enough to get through the Online Round and win the Regional Round! It was unbelievable and amazing at the same time. I’m so glad I took this opportunity. I have been listening to K-Pop since January, and I got to know about the K-Pop India Contest 2020 from my friend. So, I decided to participate in it! We had formed a team and had fun experiences. I even got to know more about K-Pop. NCT’s Taeyong is my favourite dancer so far! I took up his role because he stood out to me.

Ms. Tashiya Nagpal (First Runner-up)

Hi! I’m Tashiya Nagpal, and I’m 16 years old. I secured the second position in the Delhi Regional Round in the Dance Category. This was the first time that I participated in the K-Pop India Contest, and I was excited to be a part of it. Though it didn’t turn out exactly how I had imagined it to be because of the pandemic, it was still a memorable experience. I grew a lot as a dancer and a performer. I got to learn about Korean culture and also discovered many new K-Pop groups. I was new to K-Pop about 7 months ago when I was introduced to BTS and Blackpink. It wasn’t long until my friend from my dance studio told me about this competition, and I was excited to participate in it.

Ms. Pragati Bhatt (Second Runner-up)

Hello! My name is Pragati Bhatt, and I’m 21 years old. I came 3rd in the Delhi Regional Round. I’m thankful to the Korean Cultural Centre India for organising this event. My love for K-Pop started in 2012 when I was in school. K-Pop idols gave me a reason to dance because when it comes to the art form, language doesn’t matter. What matters is the feel of the music. Back then, I used to cover K-Pop songs. Slowly, I started digging more about the K-Pop artists and their struggles and was inspired by their dedication and love for their art. I took part in this contest so that I could go to Korea. It was because of Korean dancers that I wanted to take dance classes and have fun, but unfortunately, I came 3rd, so can not be a part of the Finale. But I’ll work hard so that I can go next year.

Vocal Category

Ms. Chanchui Khayi (Winner)

Hello! My name is Chanchui Khayi and I am 19 years old. I won the Delhi Regional Round in the Vocal category. I was worried and skeptical about participating as it wasn’t going to be like the previous years. But I thought about the odds and gave it a shot. The wait and the suspense for the results were unlike any other. I have to say that I had placed my prayers. And I feel blessed and fortunate to have won and to be able to represent Delhi. The inspiration and love have remained constant since I was 6, and SHINee’s 2008 debut/stage encouraged me even more. So, I knew without a doubt that I had to at least try and work hard for an opportunity. Hence, I participated and now, am finally a step closer to my goal!

Ms. Srija Paul (First Runner-up)

Hello, everyone. My name is Srija Paul, and I’m 15 years old. This year, I participated in the K-Pop India Contest 2020 and fortunately, secured the 2nd position in the Delhi Regional Round in Vocal category. When I discovered the world of K-Pop in 2018, I realized that a huge opportunity is provided to the K-Pop enthusiasts here through the contest. I watched the grand finale of 2018 and could sense the excitement and power at that competition. I had also decided that I was going to participate in the contest. Since then, I was always looking for a chance to participate in the K-Pop India Contest, and I am thankful to KCCI for giving me the opportunity this year to compete in the regionals. The journey was fun and motivating and all the credit goes to our organiser. She worked hard for us and guided us so well with everything. I got to learn a lot through this competition, and now, I have gained more confidence in my skills.

Ms. Illiyana Gogoi (Second Runner-up)

Hello! I am Illiyana Gogoi, and I am 23 years old. I bagged the 3rd position in the Delhi Regional Round in the Vocal category. I’ve always been an admirer of Korean culture. To me, it is a form of expression and self-belief. The ideal blend of both traditional and popular culture, it inspires me in countless ways. Being an avid K-Pop follower, I’ve always wanted a platform to showcase my love for K-Pop. And that’s exactly where the K-Pop India Contest came in. Being a first-time participant, the K-Pop India Contest 2020 was the perfect opportunity to channel my love for K-Pop. It was a wonderful experience to have met so many talented people during this lockdown. I’m hoping for the K-Pop culture to further grow and inspire many others just like me.

Regional Organiser: Korean Culture India Fan Club

Ms. Prerna Tiwari

I am Prerna Tiwari, a teacher by profession, admin of Korean Culture India Fan Club, founder, and owner of Hallyuism, and an official promoter of Korean Culture in India. I started the fan club in Delhi NCR region in March 2015 and have been actively volunteering and helping the Korean Cultural Centre India and event management companies like Pink Box Events and Namas.K with the promotion of Korean events. As an admin, our fan club is also active in volunteering and helping in the events on online and offline basis. KPop High India has also been active with our fan club in relation to promotional events of Korean Culture across the country.

KCCI has always been conducting the Delhi Regional Round since the beginning, and we help them with the promotional and volunteer work. But for the first time, we did this on our own as an organiser under their guidance. We just estimated a count of 1000 views, but to our astonishment, we crossed the mark of 1.5 lac views in total for all the participants from the Delhi Regional Round. I thank the audience for their support and love. As an admin and organiser, it was a learning experience to conduct this event online amidst the pandemic. I thought it would be next to impossible, but I am glad it turned out to be a hit among the audience. I would like to thank the writers at Hallyuism for being a helping hand in this contest, special thanks to the editors at Hallyuism, Ms. Jasmine Khan and Ms. Preeti Rawat for always keeping a check at the background! I would also like to thank Mr. P. Ronnie Gangte for being our video editor and my co-admin, Ms. Jagriti Garg for always helping me out with the creation of posts! I extend my thanks and gratitude towards Korean Culture Centre India, The Embassy of the Republic of Korea, Korea Tourism Organisation and Samsung for being our partners, and Limese Connect and KPop Merch for their never-ending support! Last but not the least to all the fans, who have always supported us with all their love, especially the fan club in Delhi NCR Region.

The promotional activities have always been a learning experience. I have met a lot of people from Korea regarding the events, and the team at KCCI has always been my biggest guide and support. They have always guided me and have looked forward to our team for the help they need as volunteers and supporters. As a team, the volunteers have also learned a lot while working online and offline, and we look forward to working more in the future to further explore the Korean culture in India.