Asha Bhat, the second runner-up at the finals of the Miss Diva Universe-2014, who proved that success in beauty pageants is not the hegemony of those born and brought up in metropolitan cititis, had been to her hometown Bhadravati on Sunday.
Representatives of various organisations had organised a programme to felicitate Ms. Bhat at the Nayana Convention Hall in Bhadravati.
Interacting with presspersons on the occasion, she said that with hard work and commitment, even girls from rural areas and mofussil centres could also succeed in beauty competitions.
Ms. Bhat is the daughter of Subrahmanya Bhat and Shyamala Bhat, who run a clinical laboratory at Bhadravati. She studied up to 10th standard at St. Charles School here and pursued her Pre-University Course at Alva's College, Moodbidri. She is pursuing seventh semester of BE at R.V. College in Bangalore at present.
Ms. Bhat, who had enrolled for National Cadet Corps while studying PUC, was selected to participate in the Republic Day parade. She was also a member of the NCC delegation from SAARC nations that visited Sri Lanka. “The stint with NCC instilled confidence in me to face new challenges,” she said.
According to Ms. Bhatm, preparing for beauty pageants was a rigorous exercise. Balanced diet and regular fitness sessions were part of the peparations. There would be training sessions on mannerisms, etiquette and communication skills. “While in NCC, I used to enjoy participating in parades. The catwalk on ramp is all together a different experience. Initially, I experienced pain with high-heeled foot wears. It is essential to endure pain to taste success,” she said.
Ms. Bhat is proud of her traditional middle-class
background. “There is a wrong notion prevailing among a section of society that beauty pageants is all about glamour. My parents used to tell that emphasis should not be given for external appearance, but to keep the heart and soul unpolluted. Beautiful person is one who is compassionate and has firm belief in the path of righteousness,” she said.
Ms. Bhat has been selected to represent India in Miss Supranational 2014 competition to be held in Poland. No Indian has won the crown at Miss Supranational event so far. My immediate aim is to emerge victorious in the event and bring laurels to my nation,” she said.
