Gizmobox April 2018 | Page 55

Photography : Swapnil Gangurde, Umesh Wagh (US Productions) | Location : Grand Rio, Nashik I n a tête-à-tête with our correspondent, Miss Teen Universe, India, Shriya Torne talked about her journey, her dreams and her experiences. Q. First of all, heartiest congratulations to you on being crowned with this prestigious crown. How does it feel to be called by the title of Miss Teen Universe, India? Shriya: It feels absolutely surreal when people address me by the title of Miss Teen Universe India. It has been my childhood dream to win the crown and I have pursued it for a long time. After all the hard work and persistence, when the dream has finally come true and now when it has come true, it feels simply amazing! This is probably the one question that I may not be able to answer very well as I feel as if I am on the 'top of the world', 'on cloud 9' and I am 'the queen of the world', all at the same time. So, I would just say that the entire experience was absolutely awesome! Q. As kids we all have fantastical dreams that could be turned into a cartoon at the most. What inspired you to dream of something as real and as unique as winning this prestigious beauty pageant? Shriya: To answer this question, I would like to share an interesting aspect of my life with you. It might not fit the idea of inspiration in the typical sense, although I believe that this is how my journey began. When I was just a child who had just started to speak rudimentary words at the most, my Dad taught me to introduce myself to other as 'Miss Universe - Shriya Torne'. It was such an age when I did not even understand the meaning of the expression. Nonetheless, I did as my dad taught me and introduced myself as Miss Universe to everyone I met. APR 18 54