Defiant willpower shines through layers of makeup

Forget the pancake, these girls have grit and how!

Lounging in a Calcutta club after a hectic catwalk session, Liza Chakraborty and Shyashree Saikia, the two Dabur Gulabari-Sananda Tilottama contestants from Assam, are a picture of composure.

Scratch that surface and out come two fiery girls who have fought against their share of odds and prejudices to take that small step out of their hometowns and strut into the big bad world of glamour.

“The day after we did our swimsuit round, when the pictures came out in a newspaper in my hometown, the whole neighbourhood was talking about how low I had stooped for glamour. I know they are still talking about it but I don’t care. I am here to win a contest and I will do what is required,” says Shyashree, a plus II student from Jorhat.

This is a lesson Shyashree has learnt from her mentor in Jorhat, an ambitious model who made it to the Gladrags supermodel contest but was dropped after she refused to do the swimsuit round.

“When you choose a profession, you have to accept its norms. That’s part of your professionalism,” quips 19-year-old Liza, a student of Gauhati Commerce College, with a passion for veejaying.

Top model and choreographer Noyonika Chatterjee is particularly impressed with Liza’s dedication. “I refer to Liza as an example of what you can do if you try. With just a month of grooming, Liza has imbibed so much. She certainly has a lot of potential.”

As for nosy “well-wishers”, the spunky girls would rather answer them on the ramp.

But neighbour’s envy is not the only hurdle the pretty heads had to face before they took the leap.

“My mother was dead against modelling. And so was my grandmother. I enrolled for a small beauty contest in Guwahati and won it. Things have been better since then. I get a little more liberty. Now my mother tells me not to care about what people say. She stands rock solid beside me,” says Shyashree, sitting pretty in a pink strappy number.

“As for me, I am good at convincing people. I explained to my father that this was what I wanted to do. It took a few days of coaxing and finally he relented,” Liza says, running a slender hand through her silky hair.

So is modelling their final destination?

“Not really,” says Liza. “I am short for a model and I know I won’t make it to the national ramp. I won’t even qualify for the Miss India contest. I will probably do a few modelling assignments in my hometown Guwahati and after that I would like to try a bit of veejaying or perhaps gun for a good role in some meaningful serials.”

Shyashree, on the other hand, is determined to go back to her books, major in English literature and take her career on from there.

For all those feminists who burnt bras and girdles and crowned a lamb outside the venue of the Miss America contest, here’s a thought — stilettos and lipstick are perhaps not necessarily detrimental to women’s lib.

For some, like these two quirky girls from Assam, it might as well be an expression of individual liberty and the right to do what their heart craves for.

Tenzin Choezom is Miss Tibet 2009

Tenzin Choezom, a 20-year-old student from Dharamshala, was crowned the new Miss Tibet for 2009 amidst a roaring crowd of over 2000 people gathered at TIPA from all across the world. Dr BK Modi, industrialist, crowned the new Miss Tibet and presented the cheque of rupees 100,000.00 (around 2,000 USD).

Ngawang Choying, was adjudged the first runner-up, receiving rupees 50,000. Dolkar was awarded the third prize with an amount of rupees 25,000, while Yeshi lhamo, the final contestant received a consolatry award of rupees 5,000.

A four-member jury — Natasha Mendez (belly dance instructor), Neelima Kanwar (lecturer at the Himachal Pradesh University), Ram Swaroop (former President of Indo-Tibetan Friendship Association) and Thierry Dodin (Director Tibet Infonet) — decided the winner.

The chief guests present were Dr BK Modi and Mr Bhishm Agnihotri, former ambassador of the NRIs to the United States of America.

There were total four rounds to judge Miss Tibet.

The first round began with the introduction of each contestant.

Second round was the gown round. Dressed in various beautiful gowns, the contestants walked the ramp with an aura of beauty and elegance. Three of the gowns were designed by Ms Kelsang Tsomo of Lakar Designs.

The third round was traditional costume round where each contestant, dressed in various costumes of different regions of Tibet walked the ramp.

During the final round of the pageant, the four judges asked one question each to the contestants.

The winner of Spice India Splendour Miss Tibet 2009 pageant, Tenzin Choezom was asked: “What is your message to the Tibetan youth in exile?”

“Education, I believe is the most essential thing for a Tibetan youth in exile. It is the only tool and the only weapon that would carry us through this period of struggle and ultimately help the cause of Tibet,” answered Tenzin Choezom.

Performances by traditional Tibetan musicians, kathak dancers and a body building show by a professional body builder were other line-up of the show.

The pageant director said the next Miss Tibet Pageant will be held from 4 to 6 June 2010.

A new Miss Tibet has been crowned. The beauty contest took place in Dharamsala, India, the de facto capital of the Tibetan government in exile. But the newly crowned winner may be shunned if she attempts to compete on the international stage, due to pressure from China.

A 20-year-old who describes herself as an “ambitious girl” has won a controversial beauty pageant held in the seat of Tibet’s exile government.

Miss Tibet 2009 Tenzin Choezom, right, reacts backstage in Dharmsala, India, 07 Jun 2009

Tenzin Choezom is the new Miss Tibet, selected over three other contestants. Several other young women withdrew from the competition before the first round of judging. Organizers say they decided not to participate for “personal reasons.”

The beauty pageant took place in Dharamsala, where the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama resides.

The competition has caused controversy since its inception in 2002. Tibetan elders have put pressure on contestants and their families, contending such an event, which includes a swimsuit round, conflicts with traditional Tibetan values. In some years, there has been only one contestant.

Miss Tibet 2009, who is from Dharamsala, says she hopes her participation and victory will inspire other young Tibetans to publicly demonstrate their talents.

“I would like to tell all Tibetan youngsters that please come on the stage and show your talent, wit and beauty, especially, Tibetan girls because they are always hiding their talents. Please come on the stage and perform like me.”

The four-judge panel awarded Choezom, who speaks fluent Tibetan, English and Hindi and aspires to be a journalist, a prize of 100,000 Indian rupees, about $2,100, at the conclusion of six rounds of competition over three days.

For many of her predecessors, the Miss Tibet crown has been the end of the line.

Many international pageants bar Tibetan representatives from their line-ups as Tibet is no longer a sovereign country. At other pageants, entrants from China, which considers Tibet an integral part of its territory, have refused to take the stage unless the Tibetan competitor wore a sash reading “Miss Tibet-China.”

Miss Tibet 2004 said she was thrown out of the Miss Tourism World pageant in Zimbabwe due to Chinese pressure.

China invaded Tibet in 1950. The Dalai Lama fled his homeland nine years later and has lived ever since in India.