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Beauty and the East

Firdaus Ali

This is one event you wouldn't want to miss.

The Miss India-Canada beauty pageant is well onto its tenth year and the event will be celebrated with much ado in Toronto.

"The year marks a milestone in the history of the pageant. Also, this being the first show of the millennium, we want to make it both dazzling and different," says Kush Agnihotri of Canada-India Beauty Quest Inc and key organizer of the show.

The gala event will be hosted at the International Plaza Hotel in Toronto on Saturday, July 29. Besides having a larger audience, increasing number of sponsors, an elite panel of judges -- girls will fly into Toronto from all over Canada to participate in the event. If organizers are to be believed, this year the event may turn into a global one.

"Efforts are underway to show live coverage of the program on the Internet in different parts of the world. There would be special emphasis on live coverage in cities where the Indian influence is amply felt, like London, New York, Vancouver and Los Angeles," adds Kush.

The pageant, a brainchild of Kush Agnihotri was a one-man show when it began in 1991. While, it has grown from strength to strength over the years, today it has become one of the most popular events among Indians living in Canada.

"Canadian girls of Indian origin use the pageant as a stepping stone into the world of glamour and glitz," says Kush. Past pageants have given us girls like Kamal Sidhu and Ruby Bhatia, who have gone onto make a name for themselves in the world of entertainment.

Canadian girls pursuing academic goals, participate in the pageant to showcase their beauty and talent. With commercial establishments promoting the event, the Miss India Canada pageant has outlived similar shows.

"Many competitive beauty contests sprung up in Canada recently. Some hosted by Indian modeling agencies and others by Indian professionals, but they do not enjoy the popularity and patronage that we do," says Kush with pride.

This may be because unlike other pageants, girls receive full support from their parents, as there is no flesh show and no swimsuit round, which is in keeping with the Indian culture and tradition.

"Beauty, poise, grace and intelligence are the sole measuring rods used to select the winner, first and second runners up. There is an evening gown, Indian costume and a talent round which is judged by a panel comprising professionals, artistes and business magnates," says Kush.

Almost 50-60 entrees are received each year, from which 16 finalists are chosen. And, the winner walks away with the crown and numerous prizes. The biggest attraction is a two-way air ticket to India, along with hotel accommodation and an invitation to participate in the Miss India World contest.

Past title-holders, Poonam Chhibber (1997) and Melissa Bhagat (1998) have gone onto bag the Miss India World title. Besides being world ambassadors girls like Kamal Sidhu, Ruby Bhatia, Gita Bali and Rishma Mallick have all got offers from the Bombay film industry.

"Kamal even went onto act opposite Jackie Shroff in Aar Ya Paar , and both Gita and Rishma have international projects lined up," says Kush. And while organizers will be busy scanning various entrees till June 16, there is speculation as to which Bollywood celebrity will be the guest of the evening this year. Past years have seen Shabana Azmi, Tanuja, Dev Anand and Hema Malini turning up.

Meanwhile the girls are busying grooming and preparing for the show, hoping that somewhere in their group another star is in the making.

Next: Ahimsa Inc!

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