Bhubaneswar: An Odia woman from Ganjam district has brought laurels to the state after winning a title in international beauty contest Haut Monde Mrs India Worldwide 2022.
Bhagyalaxmi Behera from Berhampur was crowned ‘Mrs. Maharani of India’ in the grand finale of the beauty contest held at Hilton Garden Inn in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on July 30. After winning the title, Bhagyalaxmi returned to her native on Thursday.
On her return, she was felicitated at a function in a function at Berhampur. “Being a mother of two kids, preparing for the beauty contest was not easy. However, I was able to achieve success with the support and encouragement of my two daughters and husband Krupamaya Behera,” Bhagyalaxmi told media persons on the sideline of the function.
She was preparing herself for this beauty pageant for the last five years, she added.
Earlier in November 2021, a total of 16,000 women participated in the international beauty contest out of which 116 could make it to the finale.
The jury panel included Bharat Bhramar, CEO Haut Monde Mrs India Worldwide; Sylvie Rodgers, celebrity hairstylist; Rony Kaula, celebrity photographer; Amisha Sethi, Haut Monde Mrs India Worldwide Winner 2021; Preeti Gautam, Space Element Winner 2021 and Manjari Gupta, Earth Element Winner 2021. The partners and sponsors included TV partner Zee TV, location partner Hilton Garden Inn, Ras Al Khaimah, leading smartwatch brand Gizmore, fashion and style partner Nirmika.