When she walked the ramp with grace at KIIT school of management, little did Aparajita Panda, a Human Resources professional based in Seattle, United States, realise that she would one day do the same at an international pageant and walk away with the ‘Mrs. India North America 2014’ title.
In a packed to capacity ballroom at Milpitas, California, she was the cynosure of all eyes and clearly a favourite of the judges where Spirit of India’s 22nd annual pageant was held on March 8.
‘’I participated in Mrs South Asia pageant and became the first runner up besides clinching the Mrs India North America 2014 title. I was also the winner of Mrs photogenic. It was all so wonderful.’’
Aparajita who was draped in a lehenga in the traditional round, wore a Badgley Mischka gown for the formal presentation and put on a dress inspired by Jennifer Lopez for the red carpet event.
Apart from the fashion rounds, the contestants took the stage for the talent round and showed energetic performances highlighting their creative skills. ‘’For this round, I danced on the peppy Madhuri Dixit song Badi mushkil baba badi mushkil from the movie Lajja.’’
The panel of judges included legendary Bollywood director Rahul Rawail, Miss USA 2010 Rima Fakih, Bollywood actress turned Hollywood producer Ashwini Bhave, San Francisco Deputy Consul General KJ Srinivasa and top costume designer and fashion stylist GK Reid. Rahul Rawail who is looking for fresh faces for his upcoming film, Love Story Again, said ‘’I see a lot of talent here. I don’t care if the new faces don’t have acting experience.’’
After competing her schooling from Kendriya Vidyalaya No.1 Bhubaneswar, Aparajita walked the ramp during her graduation days at Utkal University. During her stint at KIIT School of Management, she notched the titles of Miss Magniloquent and Miss KIIT.
Post an MBA in Human Resources, Aparajita began her career at TCS Bangalore. She moved to the US in 2010 and has been working in Seattle, Washington since then. The beautiful lass loves travelling, cooking, reading, organizing events and actively takes part in helping local non profit organizations.
A proud Odia, Aparajita attributes her success to her parents and husband. ‘’She has made us proud as always,’’ said her parents Shantilata and PC Panda.