Bargarh, Dec 4 (Odisha.in)The growing trend of small town youths making it big has once again come to the fore with Ankeeta Pani of Sambalpur being spotted in the Pantaloon-Femina Miss India 2008.
Ankeeta is the daughter of Dr. Uttam Kumar Pani and Chursheela Pani of Baraipali, Sambalpur. Besides Ankeeta, two more girls Rupsa Nayak of Balasore and Prabjhot Kaur of Jameshedpur have also been selected. This is for the first time Femina organised the talent hunt event in Orissa.
Similar selection will also be made in Lucknow, Chandigarh, Goa, Kolkatta, Indore, Jaipur, Agra, Nasik and Pune.
Selected from a among 20 girls who were short listed, the selection of the shy and introvert Ankeeta was based on beauty and intellect and has come in for surprise for those who know her closely.
A brilliant student right from school, after doing her ICSE from St. Joseph’s Convent here, Ankeeta did her Plus Two from Gangadhar Meher Junior College before opting to pursue a career in Computer Science and Engineering at KITS at Bhubaneswar after holding 40th rank among the girls in JEE-Orissa.
In her sixth semester, Ankeeta has already been selected by Infosys in the campus recruitment and aims to do her M Tech.
With a height of 5.7 feet she is also an ‘A’ certificate holder of National Cadet Corps, an Odissi dancer and won the Regional Maths Olympiad.
A scholar, Ankeeta was unfazed after she received the news of her being selected and said that she is focused on doing her M.Tech.
While she is not averse to the idea of joining Beauty Pageant or trying her hand inmodelling, she was candid that completing her education remains her first priority.
Revealing that it her brother Udayan, parents and close friends who coaxed her in appearing for the screening, she said that it was unplanned and expressed her happiness at being selected.
Odisha.in