A STAFF REPORTER

Guwahati, May 24: If you fancy your chances as a model or an actor, the Dabur Gulabari Sananda Tilottama contest is clearly the one to set your sights on.

Eastern India’s biggest and most prestigious beauty pageant, which has been known as a stepping stone for supermodels, Miss India crowns and actresses over the years, is back for its 14th year.
The hunt for the glamorous beauty queens was launched here today by renowned fashion designer Garima Garg.

“Sananda Tilottama is a good plat- form for wannabe models and actors from the Northeast to get noticed and make it big in the world of glamour,” Garg said.

“The beauty pageant helps to build the confidence and groom young talents and also open up new opportunities for them,” she pointed out.

Sananda Tilottama boasts of a lineage that has names such as Bipasha Basu, Koena Mitra, Celina Jaitley, Reshhmi Ghosh, Nicollette Bird, Jyoti Brahmin and Dimpy Ganguly to name a few.

The organisers said the Guwahati prelims of the high-profile pageant would be held by the end of June.“For Sananda Tilottama, Guwahati has always been an important venue for the preliminary round simply because of the abundance of beauty and talent.

In fact, past winners like Shyashree Saikia and Karishma Pradhan are from the Northeast,” one of the organisers said.

“Following the overwhelming number of entries that are received each year from all other the eastern region, including Orissa and Jharkhand, this year the preliminary rounds will also be held in Bhubaneswar and Jamshedpur, in addition to Calcutta and Guwahati,” she said.

This year, a mega preliminary round will be held in Calcutta, where the shortlisted contestants of the preliminary rounds and the wild card entry contest winners will battle it out for a place in the top ten.

These 10 will undergo a monthlong training spearheaded by supermodel and choreographer Nayanika Chatterjee. The best names in the glamour industry, such as VLCC, will be part of the intensive grooming. Daily workouts at the gym, strict dietary regulations, dance and ramp choreography, diction and etiquette training will be part of the rigorous training.

The lead-up to the grand finale will also have sub-contests like Miss Beautiful Smile, Miss Beautiful Skin, Miss Congeniality, besides the swimwear round.

“A pageant that celebrates the quintessence of beauty, Sananda Tilottama gives its contestants a platform to express their wit, beauty and discover their inner self,” the organisers said.

“Since its inception, Sananda Tilottama has continued its quest to discover the best talents in the eastern region and has established itself as a major platform for prospective supermodels and successful film stars,” she said.

Source

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100525/jsp/northeast/story_12483109.jsp