Times of India
NEW YORK, Dec 31: Richa Gangopadhyay, a 21-year-old Michigan student, was crowned Miss India USA 2007 at the 26th annual pageant held Friday in New Jersey.
Richa will now represent US at the 17th annual Miss India Worldwide pageant, organised by India Festival Committee (IFC), on Feb 23 in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Richa is a final year student at the Michigan State University and majoring in Dietetics and Nutrition. She enjoys dance, music, movies and teaching children about health and nutrition. She also won the title of Miss Photogenic. She was crowned by the outgoing queen, Ayushka Singh.
Neha Multani, 22, of New York and Nisha Palvia, 18, of Georgia were respectively declared first and second runners up among 24 contestants from various parts of the US.
At the pageant all contestants took part in the Indian dress and evening gown segment. In the talent round, the top 10 presented Bollywood dances, kathak, bharatanatyam, violin as well as poetry recitation and singing.
The contest, organised by New York-based IFC, is the longest running Indian pageant outside India.
IFC was founded by Dharmatma Saran in 1974 to conduct Indian beauty pageants and fashion shows. IFC's affiliates in 20 countries of the Indian diaspora hold their own beauty pageants and send representatives for Miss India Worldwide.
Fareisa Joemmanbaks of Suriname is the reigning Miss India Worldwide.