From sports shoes to high heels

Mansi Nagpal, 22, a resident of Khayala, Vishnu Garden, has bagged the title of Miss India Central Queen of Heart 2020. The annual pageant, organised by MIHQ, aims at motivating women to put their skills under the spotlight. It was held at Hotel Crowne Plaza, Greater Noida, on December 23. Model and actress Himanshi Khurana was the chief guest, along with other members of the jury.

The 60 contestants belonged to different parts of India and came from different walks of life. They were groomed by experts for the pageant, and 16 made it to the grand finale that had three rounds: Ethnic Wear, Western Wear and Casual Wear. Nagpal says that she got to know about the pageant via an advertisement on Instagram: “I sent my photos, and was pleasantly surprised when I got selected.

After clearing the three rounds of telephonic interviews, we were trained in ramp walking and personality development throughout November and December.” Armed with an MBA in sales and marketing from ITS, Nagpal worked for some time in a national daily to learn sales and marketing skills, and is pursuing her Masters in Journalism from BFIT Group of Institutions, Dehradun.

Ultimately, she wants to become a restaurateur. “All this education I am gaining is a preparation for that.” Nagpal is also a national level Kick Boxing champ and an international Karate champion, having bagged 10 gold medals in Karate and three in kick boxing so far. “Athletics is something I will never leave,” says Nagpal, currently preparing for the National Karate Championship to be held in February in which she is representing Delhi. Nagpal spends 5-6 hours daily, training in the gym.

“This journey from sports shoes to high heels is a memorable one,” says Nagpal, adding, “Being a sports person all my life, I never thought I will win this title, and now that I have, I want to make a mark in modelling.”