Dubai girl on her journey to becoming a beauty queen

Rishikaa Gupta was among the top five contestants at the Miss India Worldwide event

By Neha Mahamood

Published: Sat 12 Oct 2019, 10:25 AM

Last updated: Wed 16 Oct 2019, 6:10 PM

Rishikaa Gupta isn't one to fade into the crowd. She proudly dons the sash of Miss UAE won at the recently held Miss India Worldwide beauty pageant in Mumbai and is passionate about empowering today's youth to hone into their creative side and chisel out their skill, whatever that may be.
The 20-year-old under-graduate student of Amity University Dubai hails from Mumbai and has been calling Dubai her home for the last five years.
Representing the UAE, Rishikaa participated in the Miss India Worldwide, a beauty pageant which draws contestants from the country and from among members of the Indian diaspora residing in other countries.
Before representing the UAE at the Miss India Worldwide 2019, Rishikaa won the Miss India UAE title and emerged winner of the Star Hunt 2018 contest held in Dubai. The make-up artist and the youngest student to head Amity Dubai's cultural events has also individually conceptualised and choreographed fashion shows for inter-college fests of IMT, Bits Pilani and Heriot Watt universities in Dubai.
How did your journey into the beauty pageant world start? How has it been so far?
The first time I was ever publicly recognised for my walk on stage was during an ICAI, Dubai Chapter annual family meet, I won the pageant round. I then auditioned for the Star Hunt pageant, hosted by Dubai Outlet Mall. We were put through intensive ramp walk training and practices, which is where I realised that what seemed like long hours and hard work for others was fun for me. Since winning the Miss Star Hunt 2018 I have been doing shows like Runway Dubai, Roots Fashion League, Sustainable Runway, etc.
Being among the top 5 in the Miss India Worldwide is no small feat. What inspired you to enter such a competitive sphere?
Meeting new people and learning about their stories. Every contestant is working towards the same goal which is making the world a more positive place in their own unique way. It's not a competition anymore when you are there to make friends and learn from people in the industry. When you are on the learning field, it's a huge adrenaline rush, especially because of your love and passion for the subject.
Growing up was there anyone in particular person who inspired or motivated you along your journey?
Every person I have come across in life has taught me something that has molded me to become who I am right now. My major motivation was my family. They always used to call me their Miss Universe.
What advice would you give someone from this region who wants to try their hand in pageantry?
Everyone is beautiful, you need to feel loved and beautiful from the inside in order to radiate positivity and love on the outside. What your soul and mind feels is what reflects on your face.
What are your thoughts on Dubai as a beauty hub?
Dubai is a melting pot of diverse cultures and nationalities. Each nation comes with their own form and representation of beauty and skincare. Learning and adapting to a wide range of new techniques and products has helped women all around feel much more confident in themselves. Putting on that first impression is the key to success.
You've mentioned previously how you wish to inspire young talent. How do you plan to go about that?
Everyone is born with a special skill or talent, some know about it, some don't. Some work with it while others ignore it and let it fade. Everyone has an inner artist within them and are all creative in their own way.
Being the events head of Amity University, Dubai, I encourage people to discover their creative side - it may be handicraft, make up, emcee-ing, fashion designing, music or walking the ramp.
In today's world, where social media makes it very accessible for anyone to have a platform and a voice for themselves, how do you hope to stand out with your vision?
Pageantry has changed so much over the years and now it is known to all as a woman representing all the other women on earth, a delicate but strong representation of beauty and brain.
People listen to someone with authority or a title. A proper platform is needed to stand as a backup and give credential to what is being spoken about. Being a pageant winner in Star Hunt and now as Ms. India UAE has given me that platform.

Rapid Fire round
You have to leave in a rush for a pageant. What 3 essentials do you grab?
Water, car keys, confidence
Which celebrity do you stalk online at 2am?
Priyanka Chopra
Your celebrity crush?
Zac Efron and Selena Gomez
If you could time travel, would you change anything?
I wouldn't change anything, because these are the experiences and lessons I have learnt that has brought me to where I am right now.
Favourite junk food?
Nachos with cheese
You're stranded on an island with fellow beauty pageant contestants, what's the one thing you'd want with you?
A polaroid to capture all our memories.

neha@khaleejtimes.com