Smriti Lakra, Guna, Madhya Pradesh
Patna Regional Round of the K-Pop India Contest 2020 was conducted online on 25th July 2020 at 12 p.m. IST on the Facebook page of Patna King Sejong Institute. Here is an excerpt from the statements of the winners of the Dance and Vocal categories and the Regional Round organiser kculture.bihar regarding their experience of this event.
Dance Category
Ms. Paris Gupta (Winner)
Hello there! This is Paris Gupta and I am 20 years old. I am honoured to win the 1st position in the Dance category of the Patna Regional Round. The K-Pop India Contest is an amazing platform for all the K-Pop enthusiasts to show their talent. I have been a very passionate dancer ever since I was 5 years old. K-Pop groups only fascinated me more with their outstanding choreographies and inspired me to explore beyond the concretes. Participating in the K-Pop contest has been an incredible learning experience for me. Winning the regional round was a dream come true and I couldn’t be any more grateful.
Ms. Aanchal Sinha (First Runner-up)
Hello! I am Aanchal Sinha and I am 18 years old. I have secured 2nd position in the Dance category of the Patna Regional Round. The K-Pop dance has influenced me greatly to participate and to give my best in the K-Pop Dance Competition 2020. Though this was the first time that I had participated in K-Pop India Contest but the zeal to reach the zenith is still alive. It was an amazing experience to compete with different dancers coming from different states and participating in Patna round and this enriched the level of the competition. Thank you!
Ms. Shanu Oinam (Second Runner-up)
Hi, I’m Shanu Oinam, and I am 21 years old. I have bagged the 3rd position in the Dance category of the Patna Regional Round. I have been learning to dance since I was 5 years old. I’m also the leader of ‘The Zealotics,’ and we have together participated in K-Pop Contest 2018 and 2019 also. My motivation would be my love for dance and my team that gives me strength. Also, K-Pop is something that I really love; from the artist, their hard work, their never-give-up attitude to their songs and music; all of that keeps the zeal inside me burning to do better every day.
Singing Category
Ms. Rupali Teresa Kujur (Winner)
Hi, I am Rupali Teresa Kujur and I am 21 years old. I am the winner of the Patna Regional Round in the Vocal category. My schoolmates introduced me to the beautiful world of K-Pop, K-Dramas, and K-Variety shows back in 2014. Little did I know that the whole K-Culture experience would become a core part of my life. I happened to attend the Mumbai Regional Round, the previous year which eventually motivated me to participate this year. I participated and achieved the first position in the first attempt. I would like to thank everyone who constantly supported me throughout the contest.
Ms. Isha Jaiswal (First Runner-up)
Hello everyone. I am Isha Jaiswal and I am 20 years old. I participated in the K-pop India Contest 2020 and secured the first runner-up position in the Vocal category of the Patna Regional Round. I tried my luck this year and luckily I won, though it was online. I am so glad that they liked my performance. This platform gives singers and dancers like us opportunities to take a step towards our dream. I really appreciate this platform for their good work and I will surely come next year with more energy and would love to win the 1st place.
Ms. Akanksha Ranjan (Second Runner-up)
Hi! I am Akanksha Ranjan and I am 15 years old. I have bagged the second runner-up position in the Vocal category of the Patna Regional Round. I have been interested in the Korean culture for 5 years. Especially BTOB’s songs were like a hope to me when I was feeling low. So, I searched for K-Pop contests in India and came to know about this contest. To be honest, when I used to sing Korean songs many people didn’t support me but I wanted to prove myself. Now, I feel like I am one step closer to my dream. So, I hope you all will also not give up on your dreams.
Regional Organiser: Kculture.bihar
Ms. Ishita Sahar
Hello! I am Ishita Sahar, studying Korean Language at the King Sejong Institute- Patna since 2017. I was introduced to the Korean language and culture in 2015 through Korean Dramas. The musical language and the rich culture of Korea attracted me so much that I ended up learning the language. My love for Korean Language and culture is something that led me to the Patna Fanclub and I am really happy to be a part of it. Not long ago, I got the opportunity to be a presider of the K-Pop Contest 2020, Patna Round. It was really fun organising the contest and promoting it. We also received a great response from the audience and the participants. I can see the popularity of K-Pop among us Indians. Hailing from a country that is culturally so diverse, I could still enjoy the diversity of both the ‘Modern and Traditional’ culture of Korean. Korean culture to me is like diving in the sea, the deeper you go, the more beauty you explore.
