LUCKNOW: Supriya Singh Rathore has put Basti, a lesser known district of eastern UP, on the national map by winning Mrs India 2017 contest held in Goa recently.
Born and brought up in a nondescript town called Khalilabad in Sant Kabir Nagar, Supriya had big dreams. She wanted to become an airhostess but was not allowed to pursue her passion by parents.
Supriya, who had no knowledge of pageants, gives the credit to her husband and in-laws for pushing her to participate in the contest. The rest she did it by herself. “I learnt ramp walk and the nitty gritty of contest through Youtube,” says Supriya, now bubbling with confidence.
With a Masters degree in English from Khalilabad, Supriya participated in Mrs UP contest in Lucknow in February 2017 and won it. “With my husband Awdhesh’s unflinching support, I won the title,” Supriya said, attributing her success to her businessman husband.
Mother of a five-year-old Ananya, Supriya admitted that she had never imagined coming this long. She, however, had always nurtured the ambition to achieve something big and extra ordinary in life. “I know I come from a small town of UP but I always wanted to be known by my name,” she said. She also wanted her daughter to walk the ramp one day as Miss India. However, she now wants to start an NGO to help girl children.