Mumbai girl Astika Gupta bags Washington beauty title

Astika Gupta

It was a dream come true for Astika Gupta, who bagged the Miss India Seattle-Renton title at the recently held Ravishing Women Festival 2018 gala. The event, which was organised by founder and CEO Menka Soni, saw 25 girls battle it out for the crown. Gupta tells mid-day, "Winning the title was surreal. This was a dream I've harboured for several years. It had become the purpose of my life."

Gupta now stares at a new challenge as she prepares to represent the state of Washington at the Miss India USA gala in February in New York.

A resident of Washington, Gupta traces her roots to Mumbai, where she completed her Bachelors in Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering. She went on to pursue her Masters in UC Berkeley. Currently working as a program manager at Microsoft, Gupta says that the toughest part of participating in the pageant was maintaining a work-life balance, "I would work [during the day] and, in the evening, train for the pageant. That took a toll [on me]. From walking the ramp, to answering [the questions posed], I decided to take training in everything so that I could excel in it all."

Gupta wishes to use her fame to be the voice of the disadvantaged. Along with an associate, she has created the prototype of two applications for the needy. "We are using technology to create applications that can help people get jobs [that can be executed] from the comfort of their homes, and help underprivileged women and small companies find an additional stream of revenue."

Catch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates