Ankita Cheryl Ghazan, the 19 year old Miss India Australia, was crowned Ms India World Wide on Saturday at Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi, beating 25 other contestants representing women from Indian diaspora of their adopted countries. While all the participating girls vowed the audience, a supremely confident and articulate Ankita stood inches taller. Earlier, she wowed the audience and the judges with her flawless rendition of the Bollywood chartbuster Mayya Mayya from Hindi movie Guru.

The witty Miss India USA, Natasha Arora was declared the first runner up while Anuradha Devika from Trinidad become the 2nd runner up, after only five girls including Miss India UAE, Farzana Parveen and Miss India South Africa-Bonnita Sampath made it to the final round.

“The feeling of having won the Miss India World Wide pageant is still so very surreal. It’s been such an amazing journey for me and I am sure for all the other contestants as well. The platform in itself has been a huge learning experience, as it gave me an opportunity to interact with other Indian contestants from such diverse backgrounds. In last five days, we have learnt a lot about fitness, nutrition, wellness, diction and presentation. Coming to this country has been an amazing experience”, said Ankita after being crowned Miss India World Wide 2011.

Jointly organised by Emirates Vision & Plan B Advertising, the event combined style, glitz and and glamour as UAE’s glitterati rubbed shoulders with Bollywood celebrities at the high profile event. The night kick-started on a high note as the host-television star Amir Ali welcomed the audience and the judging panel. Soon after, 26 beautiful contestants bearing their country flags strutted down the ramp, introducing themselves to a loud applause from the audience. Bollywood singer Shibani Kashap, kept the audience entertained with her latest chart-busters.

The contestants were judged by a panel of Bollywood celebrities-famous singer Pankaj Udhas, model Sophie Chaudary, yoga guru-Bharat Thakur, Bollywood designer Archanna Kocchar, Miss India 2009-Tanvi Vyas while Ms. Neelam Saran and Dr. Shashi Agarwal represented the founding-parent organization of Miss India World Wide, IFC , New York.

The grand finale which concluded the five day event was segmented into four rounds-ethnic, shortlisted talent, and evening gown followed by the Q&A round. Earlier all the contestants were given an opportunity to showcase their talent during the Talent Night organised in Dubai. The highlight of the main event was the brilliant performances by the participating contestants. Ms India USA made the entire audience stand up, as she brilliantly rendered the Indian National Anthem on her violin followed by an eclectic dance performance to a medley of Bollywood chart busters.

All the contestants gave their own twist to the ethnic round, well reflected in their respective attires which ranged from purely Indian to fusion dresses heavily inspired by their adopted countries. Archanna Kochhar, the famous Indian designer roped in for MIWW, morphed the girls into lovely princesses with a stunning collection of her specially designed evening gowns that delicately fused style and elegance with understated sensuality.

While it was a tough call for the judges, the participants were judged for personality, talent, stage presence, confidence and self belief. The tricky Q&A session tested the contestant’s nerve and presence of mind.
With her winning answer; “If I win the Miss India World Wide crown, the cause that I would endorse would be to provide equal opportunities irrespective of class and creed to all the people in the world-children, elderly, youth, the underprivileged to accomplish and become what they have always aspired to be”, Miss India Australia Ankita sealed the fate of the contest, winning the collective approval of the judging panel.

She walked away with a cash prize of USD 9000 and various annual modeling contracts/ brand ambassador and sponsor prizes. During the one year contract with MIWW, Ankita will participate in various international fashion shows and charity drive initiatives.

Mr. Dharmatma Saran, chairman and founder of IFC, the New York based organizer of the annual event said; “Ankita Cheryl, Miss India World Wide 2011, fully epitomizes the philosophy of the event which celebrates Indian values and ethos. We are glad to be celebrating the 20th anniversary of Ms India World Wide in the UAE. This country is an ideal host for the 2011 pageant being a perfect kaleidoscope of cultures, nationalities, religions and ethnicities.”

The scintillating performances by the contestants and the stars, were perfectly highlighted by the creative stage design and lighting effects used by Plan B Advertising. Mr. Harmeek Singh, Managing Director of Plan B advertising, described the effects as the ‘first of its kind in the UAE’.

Mr. John Matthew, National Director of Miss India Worldwide for the Middle East countries and managing director of Emirates Vision Events, who has been instrumental in bringing the event to the Middle East, said: “We are overwhelmed by the response to the MIWW 2011. We are glad for opening up opportunities for these immensely talented ladies. While there can be only one winner, I am sure the life journeys of all the contestants will be shaped and influenced by their participation in this international event. We wish them all the luck. “

GCC contestants representing UAE, Bahrain, Qatar and Oman participated in the international pageant that creates an opportunity for Indian girls across the globe to showcase their talent without the need for physical exposure.
 

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