Ekta Aggarwal, Delhi
Nagpur Regional Round of the K-Pop India Contest 2020 was conducted online on 2nd August 2020 at 4 p.m. IST on the YouTube channel, IKFC Nagpur. Here is an excerpt from the statements of the winners of the Dance and Vocal categories and the Regional Round organiser, Indo Korea Fan Club Nagpur, regarding their experience of this event.
Dance Category
Ms. Uttara S. (Winner)
Hello! I am Uttara S. and I am 18 years old. I have won the Nagpur Regional Round in the Dance category. First of all, I’m really thankful that despite the current situation, the K-Pop India Contest 2020 was conducted, and although it was online, there were many participants, and the level of the competition was high. The competitors were strong, and to have won this really means a lot to me. I was actively able to interact with the organisers and the participants, and I am really glad to have taken part in this event and have this great experience even during the lockdown.
Ms. Nancy Malang (First Runner-up)
Hello! I am Nancy Malang and I am 16 years old. I am the first runner-up of the Nagpur Regional Round in the Dance category. It was a really great experience at the K-Pop India Contest 2020. Firstly, I would like to thank KCCI for organising this contest. I love dancing to K-Pop songs, and this was an opportunity to show our passion to all. I’m really grateful for it. As the contest was conducted online this year, I missed performing live on stage, but still, I practiced and shot my video. I enjoyed it a lot! Our judges also inspired us to perform well. I am also thankful for that. I’m very happy that I’m in the top 3. I had so much fun, and I enjoyed the whole contest. And, I also want to thank the IKFC team for always supporting us during this contest. Thank you!
Mr. Tanishq Anil Gajbhiye (Second Runner-up)
Hello! I am Tanishq Anil Gajbhiye, and I am 15 years old. I participated in the Online Round of the K-Pop India Contest 2020, and I cleared the first round. In the Regional Round, I came 3rd in the Dance category. I got to learn a lot of things, and though I came 3rd this time, next time I will work harder. As we know failure is the key to success, so I will give my best. My experience till here was amazing. I gave my 100 percent and devoted two and a half hours every day to dancing and vocal warm-up. I surely want to explore and contribute to this culture. This was the first time that I took part in the K-Pop India Contest. I will come next year with more energy and enthusiasm. I entered the magical world of K-Pop after listening to Jung Ji-hoon, better known as Rain. He is my idol, and I will work hard to be like him. I just want to say that one should not give up on their dreams.
Vocal Category
Ms. Isha Gupta (Winner)
Hello! I am Isha Gupta and I am 19 years old. To be honest, the K-Pop India Contest is one of the best things in 2020 for me. I won the Nagpur Regional Round in the Vocal category. Singing and dancing have always been my passion, and this contest gave me an opportunity to show it to the world, and I’m really grateful for it. The contest was online this year, so there weren’t many problems that I had to face, but I love performing on stage and while I was shooting my video, I missed that. I missed the vibe of being on the stage, the cheers from the audience, and the compliments and improvisation tips from the judges. I can’t say I will win the finals, but I am going to enjoy myself to the fullest while performing because I love celebrating the best moments. I’m really thankful to KCCI for giving this opportunity to so many people. And of course IKFC, they’ve always been so supportive. Thank you!
Ms. Aayushi Rode (First Runner-up)
Hello! I am Aayushi Rode and I am 23 years old. This was my first time this year participating in a K-Pop contest. I love singing, and I have been exploring the K-Pop scene for the last 2 years, so it was really exciting that I got to showcase my skills and my admiration for the Korean culture through this competition. It’s always good to learn about new cultures. Also, being in the top 3 is exhilarating! While going through the process, I learned a lot of new things. Even though this time everything was online, it was a jolly experience. The admins of IKFC were of huge help. They guided us through the process very smoothly and were very co-operative with all the participants. I will surely try to be a part of all the activities planned by KCCI and/or IKFC in the future and explore new things!
Ms. Priti Choudhari (Second Runner-up)
Hi! I’m Priti Choudhari and I am 16 years old. First of all, I would like to thank KCCI for giving us the opportunity to perform and our judges for giving us their precious time. Thank you so much, everyone, for supporting me. I was introduced to K-Pop 2-3 months before the contest started through BTS. This was followed by groups like MAMAMOO, EXO, and many more. I always enjoyed listening to their songs. Then, I came to know about the K-Pop India Contest that is held every year, and I thought that this was my chance. So, I just gave the online audition and got selected, which was unexpected! I was so happy that I cleared the Online Round, and I started preparing for the Regional Round. Then, when all the participants were told that this year, the second round was also going to be held online due to the pandemic, I was a little upset because I thought that I would get a chance to perform live in front of everyone on stage. But after seeing everyone voting and cheering for us online, I was so happy. It was a great experience for me, and I enjoyed it a lot! I just want to congratulate all the winners and wish them luck for the next round. Once again, thank you for supporting me and making me the Second runner-up in the Vocal Category.
Regional Organiser: Indo Korea Fan Club Nagpur
Ms. Maitreyee
This was the first time that we got a chance to organise the K-Pop India Contest in Nagpur. We were excited as well as nervous about it. As it was our first time organising the contest, doing it online was an added challenge for us because the first event proposal that we had sent to KCCI was for offline Regional Round, and suddenly, things changed. We are really thankful to KCCI and the other regional organisers for helping us throughout the process. It was an amazing experience working with the team. We’re also thankful to the fans and the participants from Nagpur. It wouldn’t have been possible without them. We hope that next year we can do it again. Bigger and better!
Check out the Nagpur Regional Round here:
