Twelve-year-old Padmalaya Nanda will be representing India at the Little Miss Universe contest being held in the US starting on May 31 and the Little Miss World event in Greece in late September.
Padmalaya was quoted as saying,”My efforts are now targeted towards the world finals because I am representing India at the Little Miss Universe and Little Miss World contests. I will give both the contests my best shot.”
She added that she was interested in modeling and fashion design but her current focus is to excel in her studies.
Padmalaya, a class 8 student at Stewart School in Cuttack, is one of 16 contestants judges have selected from across the globe.
Padmalaya has already won the Miss Preteen Junior Model India, Best Ball Gown (which she designed herself) and Miss Preteen People’s Choice titles, according to reports.
The Times of India reported that Padmalaya, the daughter of the famous lawyer Prasanna Kumar Nanda and Dr Subhasudha Priyadarsini, deeply impressed the judges during the auditions.
The Little Miss Universe contest finals are scheduled to take place on June 6, and she has appealed to all her supporters on Facebook to vote for her. Voting ends on June 4 at 9am.