Nagaland Beauty Upasna Gurung Crowned 'Miss Sake India 2020'

New Delhi, February 23, 2020:

Upasna Gurung, a 26-year-old girl from Nagaland, has been named the first Miss Sake India 2020 at a gala event held in New Delhi.

Sae Haruta, Miss Sake Japan 2019 crowned Upasna with the honor as she broke into tears after being announced the winner of the contest at The Kimono Club in national capital New Delhi on February 21.

Sake is a popular Japanese healthy alcoholic beverage made from rice in Japan, and some people call it Japanese rice wine too. However, Sake is slowly gaining ground in India, and Miss Sake India 2020 contest is an initiative to promote Sake in the Indian subcontinent.

ALSO READ: Akhil Gogoi’s Release Demand Raised in Front of France’s Eiffel Tower?

Upasna Gurung has bagged a hoard of awards including a stay in a beautiful hotel in Vietnam after winning the coveted crown.

The Jury that adjudged Gurung as the winner included Kenji Sugino, Secretary-General, Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry in India (JCCII); Bishan Kumar, Editor-in-Chief, Spiritz; Sae Haruta, Miss Sake Japan 2019 and others. A total of 14 contestants from across India participated in the event.

In March, Upasna will also share Indian Culture from the stage at the 2020 Miss Sake Japan Finale event in Kyoto, Japan, and will have the opportunity of meeting Miss Sake Cultural Ambassadors from other countries including Hong Kong, Taiwan, Vietnam, Australia, and Shanghai.

ALSO READ: US President Trump Shares Video of Himself as ‘Baahubali’ ahead of India Visit

Earlier, the Nagaland girl had also been awarded Miss Talented in a district-level pageant. She is also the proud winner of Miss Confident and also a Runner Up at Miss Capital of India 2019.

With this event, India has joined the league of the six nations other than Japan where Miss Sake events are organized.

Mika Onishi, Director, Miss Sake Association said that more and more people in India were liking the taste of Sake and urged the Government to reduce customs on the product so that it can be enjoyed by more people.

Support Inside Northeast (InsideNE), an independent media platform that focuses on Citizen-centric stories from Northeast India that are surprising, inspiring, cinematic and emotionally relevant.