Shilpa Gogna declared Miss India Florida
A student of the University of Florida, Shilpa was declared Miss India Florida at Tampa, reports Lalit K Jha.
Shilpa Gogna, a student of the University of Florida, was declared Miss India Florida at Tampa on Saturday July 9.
Gorgeous-looking Shipla was declared the winner of the first Miss India Florida Pageant by a panel of judges following a competition held at the India Culture Centre at Tampa.
Chandani Desai and Sharah Mian were declared first and second runner up respectively.
Scheduled a few months before, the pageant was affected by the hurricane Dennis, which hit the Florida coast early morning.
Though it did not hit the Tampa city directly, heavy rains for a few hours in the morning and high speed winds did dissuade few of the contestants to come to the pageant and also a large number of audiences, who otherwise were expected to jam pack the India Culture Centre.
Shipla, who immediately after becoming the Miss India Florida received a modeling offer from a reputed Florida company, would not compete for the Miss India U.S.A. Pageant to be held at Sun Dome, Tampa next month. She said, she had been working on the pageant for quite some time now.
"I am excited. It is a great thing fro me today," Shilpa told the HindustanTimes.com soon after receiving the crown from the reigning Miss India U.S.A., Reshmoo Pande.
With her parents originally from New Delhi, Shilpa was born in Canada and has spent most of her life in North America.
"Now, I would concentrate on the next month's national pageant," she said, adding that this was a momentous occassion for her.
Some 40-45 contestants from 30 States of the United States are expected to participate in Miss India U.S.A. Pageant, said Dharmatma Saran, chairman of Miss India Worldwide.
Saran is said to be the pioneer in organizing Indian pageants and fashion shows in U.S.A. and other parts of the world.
Organized by him, Miss India Worldwide, the only international Indian pageant, has been acclaimed by many as the most glamorous Indian function in the world.
"Quite apart from being functions of great social and cultural value, our pageants fulfill the underlying purpose of raising funds for charitable causes," Saran said.
