Shilpa set to win hearts

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There are 88 beautiful women who are competing for the coveted title of Miss Universe this year. But Shilpa Singh, who is representing India at the beauty pageant, is quite confident of winning it. “I will be there being myself. I don’t need to put on a facade.

Nobody can be a better Shilpa than I am,” says Singh when asked what makes her stand out amongst other contestants.
The 23-year-old is a software engineer by profession. Miss Universe was never really a childhood dream for her. “It was beyond my dreams. I never thought I was good enough for Miss Universe. But I always wanted to do something that would make my parents proud of me. Fortunately Miss Universe gave me a big platform to realise my dream,” she informs. She also adds that she loves performing on stage in front of a big audience.
The lass from Bihar is thrilled to represent India in the 61st edition of the competition that will be held on December 19 in Las Vegas and will be aired on Zee Cafe on December 20. “India for me stands for its rich tradition and culture and today it has made me who I am. If I can give my country one reason to celebrate, there will be nothing better than that for me in my life,” she says.
Ask her about her preparations for the big stage and Singh immediately credits her mentor Sushmita Sen for it. “She is like a walking and talking institution. I had so much to learn from her,” informs Singh. Her fitness regime was taken care of by fitness trainer Nupur Shikhare. Her workout included body weight training, kickboxing and cardio. Dietician Pooja Makhija designed her diet plan, which did not require her to starve to get in shape. She had to eat small meals every two hours and keep herself hydrated.
Talking about how she feels to have a million hopes pinned on her, Singh says, “In my life I have set a lot of goals and I have failed. There were times where I lacked confidence. When I won the title and was chosen to represent my country at Miss Universe, I looked back and all those little failures made sense. I have promised myself to give my 100 per cent and make my country proud.”
“Miss India was never on my cards when it happened. If later on Bollywood comes my way and my heart wants to do it then I will surely go for it,” she says.