http://www.missindiaukevent.com/body_index.htm
http://www.gupistan.com/gallery/1/Miss_India_UK_parveen_sian_small.jpg
Former CNN anchor Riz Khan had a tough task at hand, far tougher than some of the journalistic assignments he has covered.
Together with English cricketer Chris Lewis and former Miss World Diana Hayden, he faced 20 beauties from whom to crown the first ever Miss India UK.
The 20 girls were more than evenly matched for the crown, for which the basic criteria were: between 17 and 25 years in age, at least 5’3" tall, unmarried, and British-born of Indian origin.
And what would decide the winner? A talent to showcase.
The ‘Most Glamorous Asian Event of 2001’ in the United Kingdom was underway.
So, was the October 26 event held in Coalville, Leicestershire, just another pageant like dozens of the bare-your-flesh kind we see in India? If Femina Miss India is a ticket to stardom, would the first ever Miss India UK be as rich and famous? Would she, too, be wooed by cine folk for a go at the big screen?
Yes and no.
No, Miss India UK was not a ‘pageant’. “We made sure that the event was not viewed as a pageant or exploitative or demeaning to women,” said Sukhvinder Samra, director of Talk Of The Town Media Ltd, organisers of the event. “We wanted to make a positive statement: British Indian women are strong, intelligent, beautiful, talented, classy, chic… and ‘truly independent’.”
There were no bikinis or short skirts. Yet, the 20 finalists looked stunning as they competed in elegant Western and Indian wear.
The brainchild of Samra (29) and Vanita Panchal (30, awarded the Young Person’s Queens Achievement Award for Business and Innovation last year), senior directors at Talk Of The Town Media, the event was put together in just four months, right from conceptualisation to marketing and the search for contestants.
Just four months?
“Miss India UK had to be representing the United Kingdom in the Miss India Worldwide finals scheduled for November 2001, USA. [The event has since been moved to March 2002 owing to the terrorist attacks on the US.] This put a lot of pressure on Talk Of The Town Media to provide a quality national event in record-breaking time and with a limited budget. We’re glad we did a fabulous job!” said a beaming Samra.
There was oodles of seduction on stage as Aruna Murthy, 23, from London, began an exotic veil dance from the steamy Sharon Stone-starrer Sliver. Whispers of ‘She’s gonna win it!’ ran through the audience.
Priya Patel, 23, from Essex, was seen as another strong favourite for the title. Currently studying architecture, she entered the event to launch a career in Bollywood. “I have already been approached by TV companies and it [the event] hasn’t even been shown on TV yet. I am confident something great will come out of participating in this event,” she said.
Comparing the event to the annual Femina Miss India contest, Samra was confident that the debut had been a highly credible national-class event in the UK and would become a world-class annual fixture to look forward to by next year.
“Femina Miss India is not merely an event… it is a festival, so well-established, exciting and anticipated. It is one of the biggest events in the Indian calendar. Every year, millions of Indians are eager to see their new ‘ambassadors’ make headlines. It is hard to make a comparison.”
There was deafening applause as the head count narrowed from 20 to five on stage. The five finalists announced were: Bina Masand from Middlesex, Aruna Murthy from London, Priya Patel from Essex, Priya Kaur Jones from Nottingham and Parveen Sian from Middlesex.
Like at other events, they then faced the judges for the final frontier: a question-and-answer session.
The winner, besides taking home goodies in the form of jewellery and a ticket to represent the country in the Miss India Worldwide contest, would be a ‘British Indian ambassador’ of beauty. Britain’s very own, for the first time.
Talk Of The Town Media’s Panchal was ecstatic as the names were announced. “All the finalists were fantastic! They all worked hard and truly enthralled and entertained the audience with their talent. No one had ever seen a show like this before in the UK. The atmosphere is magical.”
Encouraged by the response to the event, Panchal and Samra plan to move the event to glitzy London from next year. They want to secure worldwide broadcast rights with a quality television station. This year, Sony Entertainment Asia is telecasting the event to an estimated audience of 400 million on Sunday, November 18.
There was a roar, and then some more, as the winners were announced.
Parveen Sian, 25, a sales and accounts administrator from Middlesex, was crowned the first ever Miss India UK by Shahnaz Hussain, India’s renowned beauty specialist.
The other finalists rallied around Sian, congratulating her as cameras blazed the stage.
Priya Kaur Jones, 22, a London-based journalist, was declared the first runner-up, while Bina Masand, 22, a student nurse from Newcastle, was adjudged the second runner-up.
A few minutes on, Sian still seemed dazed: “I was so surprised, shocked and then ecstatic…” she said. “It was like a dream. All my effort and hard work paid off!”
And thus did the United Kingdom have a new ambassador: a British Indian ambassador of beauty