Diya Jain, Delhi

Ahmedabad Regional Round of the K-Pop India Contest 2020 was conducted online on 14th August 2020 at 6 p.m. IST on the YouTube page of k-culture Gujarat Official by the Regional Round organiser, Young Feeds. Here is an excerpt from the statements of the winners of the Dance and Vocal categories regarding their experience of this event.

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Are you ready Gujarat? . . We are so excited to announce that the Gujarat regional rounds will be hosted live on 14th August’ 20 at 6pm on k-culture Gujarat official YouTube channel. . . . This would be a live stream wherein the judgment criteria is 60% judges and 40% audience. Hence, the audience will also have a responsibility on whom do they want to have for representing the state at the finals. . . Details for the participants have been sent through email. If you are a participant and have not received the mail. Please let us know. 🌟 *GOOD LUCK*

A post shared by Young Feeds (@_youngfeeds_) on Jul 7, 2020 at 10:17pm PDT

Dance Category

Mr. Arjun Pan (Winner)

Hello, I’m Arjun Pan. I am the winner of the Ahmedabad Regional Round in the Dance category. For me, being a finalist in the Dance category at the LG K-Pop India Contest 2019 is where it all started. Preparing for the finale last year was similar to participating in a dance event but witnessing such a big K-Pop event, where I came across IN2IT and AleXa performing live and driving the fans crazy, was huge! I couldn’t think of myself being a part of this K-culture, that is, the K-Pop vibe. From enrolling myself as a participant to become a winner of the Regional Round, I appreciate and thank everyone who supported me throughout this journey. I know it’s just the beginning of my journey into K-Pop; I have a long way to go. Thanks, KCCI, for giving all K-Pop lovers such a platform.

Ms. Anami Bharadva (First Runner-up)

Hello, I am Anami Bharadva. I am the first runner-up of the Ahmedabad Regional Round in the Dance category. My participation experience was amazing! I had a lot of fun during this contest. When I saw my name on the winners list, I was so happy, and it was an achievement for me. I was inspired by BTS and BLACKPINK. My dream and love to be a dancer motivated me to take part in this contest. Besides this, my family always motivated me to do what I love.

Ms. Sukruti Patel (Second Runner-up)

Hi, my name is Sukruti Patel. I am 19 years old. I am the second runner-up in the Dance category of the Ahmedabad Regional Round. To participate in the contest was frightening at first as I hadn’t participated in any of the dance contests earlier, and I had to step out of my comfort zone, but I can say that it was all worth it. And I am quite proud of myself. I have always loved dancing, and when I came to know about the contest, I decided to give it a try. I also loved the choreography of Twice’s ‘More and More’, so that is the song I choose. I am thankful to the contest organisers and all the people who watched our performances and voted for us. I am grateful for the chance they gave us for showing our talents.

Vocal Category

Ms. Akshita Patel (Winner)

Hi, I am Akshita Patel, and I am the winner of the Ahmedabad Regional Round in the Vocal category. It was my first time participating in the K-Pop India Contest 2020, and I was so excited about the opportunity to showcase my love for singing Korean songs. Furthermore, the feeling of being the winner of the first-ever Ahmedabad regionals has made it all the more joyous! I can’t thank KCCI enough for this wonderful opportunity. I came to know about the contest last year, and the idea that there was a platform where I could showcase my love for Korean music and my talent for singing, really got me motivated. Moreover, my friends, who are also into K-Pop, encouraged me to participate in the contest.

Ms. Vishakha Gulale (First Runner-up)

Hey! I’m Vishakha Gulale, and I’m 16 years old. I secured the second position in the Ahmedabad Regional Round in the Vocal category. Actually, I just plunged into K-Pop in 2019, and as usual, the reason was the almighty of K-Pop, BTS. I was quite influenced by K-Pop, so I started searching for such stuff in India. And then, I found out that KCCI holds the K-Pop India Contest all over India every year, so I decided to participate this year! And indeed, it was an impeccable experience as I think K-Pop is the only medium through which I can pursue my dream. Thank you!

Ms. Ria Verma (First Runner-up)

I’m Ria Verma, and I’m 16 years old. I secured the third position in the Vocal category of the Ahmedabad Regional Round. It was my first time participating in this competition and securing a position in the first try was a big breakthrough for me. I have been into K-Pop since 2014, and I always wanted to showcase my talent someday too. Then, in 2016, I saw the current member of Z-Girls, Priyanka, making it to the K-Pop World Festival and even doing a great job there. So, I wanted to participate in such an event too. But my education was also a priority, so this pandemic was an opportunity for me to try something new. I learned about the auditions through my friends, and I participated without any expectations. It feels like yesterday. I’m grateful for being given an opportunity, and I hope, just like me, those who aspire to be a K-Pop singer, can come ahead and show their talents. Fighting and thank you!

Regional Organiser: Young Feed

Ms. Raajvi Joshi

I had seen the fan base in Gujarat and knew how huge it was with such great talents in it. Hence, when I saw we never had any regional rounds hosted in the state, I thought of giving it a try and contacting KCCI for the same. The response by the fans has been amazing. It was so refreshing to see such talented young individuals performing and even more interesting was the support the community showed for each other. This experience has taught me personally a lot of things for my own startup venture (Gracias Media). It was a learning lesson and a good one indeed. I’m happy I got to host the regional round and had a chance to share the amazing talents we had in our state with everyone.

Check out the performances here: