Bhubaneswar: In a proud moment for Odisha, 25-year-old Sonia Behera from Jharsuguda district has become the first woman from the state to secure admission to the prestigious three-year Diploma in Dramatics programme at the National School of Drama (NSD), New Delhi.

Sonia secured the eighth rank in the All India merit list with an impressive 80.05 percentile after successfully clearing the highly competitive multi-stage selection process. The admission process included preliminary screening, theatre workshops, practical exercises and personal interviews conducted at the NSD campus in New Delhi from June 14 to 19.

Expressing happiness over the feat, Sonia hoped that he journey would encourage artistes from smaller towns to aim for success at the national level. She gave credit to her mother for encouraging her to pursue the profession despite uncertainties and challenges.

Sonia's journey in theatre began in 2015 after watching the play Lal Paen, staged during a school programme by the Mirror Theatre Group in Jharsuguda. Inspired by the performance, she joined the group and gradually established herself as a promising theatre artist.

Over the past 11 years, Sonia has acted in several acclaimed productions by the Mirror Theatre Group. Her performances in ULPI and Lal Paen, which were staged across Odisha as well as in other parts of the country, earned her national recognition.