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Of beauty and brains
The 14th annual pageant for the Miss, Mrs and Mr India America took place in California, writes Shalini Narang.
The 14th Annual Pageant for the Miss India America, Mrs India America and Mr India America showcasing the vitality, vivaciousness, energy and enthusiasm of the Indo-American participants in the glamorous and glitzy gala took place on the evening of April 9th at Hotel Crowne Plaza in Foster City, California.
A motley group of 33 semi finalists came to the Bay Area from all over United States to compete for the three primary titles and other miscellaneous accolades. A doctor from Michigan and a design engineer from Detroit participated with students from New Jersey and Missouri to homemakers from Houston and Dallas.
"It's a pleasure to see the competition grow. Since 1992, our organisation has been working with South Asian youth. For many, this is their first involvement in a South Asian event. Last year, our Miss India America 2004, Megha Nabe, went on to win the world title of Miss Tourism International 2004 while representing United States in Malaysia," says Jinder Chohan, the creator and producer of the event.
The celebrity guests from the movie, modelling and fashion industry gracing the gala included Ashok Amritraj, Producer Deepak Nayar, Model Saira Mohan and Fashion Designer Anand Jon.
The competition commenced with twenty young lasses, five lads and eight ladies sashaying down the stage showcasing the latest fashion and flamboyance in traditional Indian attires.
Perched between the tantalising traditional-wear and the glamorous gowns gala was the talent tournament-undoubtedly the most entertaining and enthralling of the three-event extravaganza.
I am tempted to suggest a revision to the nomenclature of beauty pageants to personality pageants. We hear participants and organisers talk ad nauseum about hollowness of outer beauty, beyond beauty, brains and beauty. The B word has been over used especially in the context of such and similar events and should be replaced with something more substantial to suggest and sustain the vitality and vigour of these pageants.
In the talent competition, the participants entertained the 500-plus audience with skills ranging from acting, poetry reading, classical and semi classical song rendition in Hindi and English, kathak dancing, ubiquitous Bollywood dancing, breathtaking gymnastics and a comic act.
The formal wear section had the women highlight contours with candour and confidence in the exquisite evening gowns of varied hues and styles. The men looked suave in their three-piece tuxedos and dinner jackets.
Deepak Nayar, the producer of Bend it like Bekham, Bride and Prejudice and others was given the Producer of the Year award. He says: "Every ethnic community in another country is looking for a slice of the culture of the nation of their origin. As Indians, we have a rich tradition of story telling passed from generation to another."
Talking about the upcoming movie based on the novel of the Bay Area based author Chitra Banerjee Divakurni, he says, "The Mistress of Spices, is about immigrant experience and we are telling the tale of life of expatriates from the perspective of the culture of the land of their origin vis-à-vis the belief patterns in their adopted land. We have one more week of shooting left in Kerela. We plan to release in September this year at the Toronto Film festival."
He added, "Despite the phenomenal success of Bend it Like Beckham, it is not easy to secure financing in America for India related subjects. For Bend it Like Beckham, several financers suggested that we replace the British girl with an American actress and the Indian girl with a Mexican actress to appeal to the mainstream American audience."
Ashok Amritraj, the winner of the Producer of the Decade honour opined: "Movie making and entertainment business have become global but people keen to make it in Hollywood have to be there for the long haul."
The honorary awards were followed by announcements of the Mr India and Mrs India titles. Sumeet Gupta from San Diego and Ami Gohil from Los Angles clinched the Mr India America the Mrs India America crowns.
The winners of all the categories won crowns, cash, and free round trip to India and mentoring sessions with Gurinder Chadha and Deepak Nayar.
The finale of the function started with announcement of the six finalists in the Miss India America category. They were then questioned on issues ranging from rising rate of divorces in the Indo American community, importance of plastic surgery for aesthetic enhancement, choice between two men, an Indian tradition that the contestant would like to change and how to help an uninitiated Indian relative adjust to life in the United States.
The coveted crown was won by Rita Dass from Pleasanton California, with her smart reply to the query from Anand Jon on what would she do if she fell in love with two men at the same time. Rita said, "I don't think it would ever happen to me. I am a very level headed woman.' Good for you, girl. You definitely have perk and prettiness.
