OPINION: Femina Miss India should be carried out on lines of Miss Diva !!
I guess the title says it all – yes, that’s the belief which we hold and we are going to try our best to convince you, the reader, into it. Hehe!
Just some background, Femina Miss India is the pageant that selects the Indian representative to Miss World and Miss Diva is the pageant that selects the Indian representative to Miss Universe. Femina Miss India is somewhat based on the format of Miss World. ‘Beauty with purpose’ is actually a round in the pageant. Last year, Miss World CEO Julia Morley actually went through the projects of some of the girls. Miss Diva last year was a reality show. The contestants had to go through elimination rounds and finally 7 girls had to face judges in interviews and then the winners were chosen. Winner of Femina Miss India last year was Koyal Rana and the winner of Miss Diva was Noyonita Lodh. Both the girls were semi-finalists at their respective pageants. Femina Miss India Runner-up Gail D’souza was a runner-up at Miss United Continents & Miss Diva runner-up Asha Bhat won Miss Supranational last year in Belarus. Now straight to the point!
Reasons why Femina Miss India should be conducted on lines of Miss Diva:
1. Fun factor
The show Miss Diva 2014 was fun to follow! The elimination rounds gave a good idea to the viewers about the girls and it felt as if we were part of the process. The swimsuit rond, the mall-walk round, the round with Cyrus, the model-shoot round – these were fun to watch! During the show, the viewers developed opinions and attachments were formed. It was a ride that kept everyone very much interested and involved! In current times when people complain of rigging in pageants, this time we had a full-time view of what’s happening.
2. The elimination rounds
Apart from fun, the rounds give the girls a good idea about what they can face at the international pageants. Mall-walk round makes them aware about the importance of presentation skills and stage-presence, and these qualities matter a lot at every international pageant. In fact, it is said that Koyal Rana of India could have easily cracked the Top 5 if she was livelier and more confident on the stage in finals. The judges also get a good idea about how girls are overall, as they are being evaluated in different rounds. Miss Diva 2014 gave us a sure-shot knowledge about the positive ramp-skills of Noyonita Lodh, Asha Bhat, Alankrita Sahai, Hida Siddique. We came to know the girls who are strong in communication skills. The girls got the chance to show their strengths.
3. Test of mental strength
It takes mental strength and focus to win through such contest. For instance, Noyonita Lodh was not the clear-cut favorite since she was not really the “easily visible” best in most of the rounds. And yet, she was mostly good in all rounds and never among the weak performers. She emerged out as a balanced contestant who was focused and mentally strong. Any and every competition at the end of the day boils down to mental strength and the girls who have this quality are the ones that shine internationally. For instance, Nana Meriwether (Miss USA 2012) has acknowledged that along with Olivia Culpo and the 2nd runner-up (Top 3 of Miss USA 2012) – they were the only girls who consistently worked out during the pageant and ended up at the top. It’s all about strength of mind and confidence!
4. Lara “Awesome” Dutta
A lot of people believe Lara was deeply involved in the judging. We don’t know if it was true and we don’t care, because we simply love her and loved that she was the part of the show. She was an amazing host and mentor to the girls. We loved her letters to the eliminated girls and we know for sure that her presence immensely contributed to the girls and their grooming. Of course, it would be awesome if she is part of Femina Miss India too. Point is – having a highly credible and “been there done that” qualified mentor can be a huge plus.
5. Acceptance of winners
The winners of Miss Diva were clearly favored over the winners of Femina Miss India last year by the masses. Noyonita received unprecendented support and was considered a huge favorite for the win at Miss Universe. She lived up to the hype and performed well. Alankrita Sahai won many titles in Miss Earth but din’t place – any complaints from her? Not really because she was fabulous and everyone ended up believing that it was unfair on part of MEO to leave her from the semi-finals’ list. Asha Bhat of course impressed everyone by winning the Miss Supranational title. Everyone had noted how graceful and confident she was in Miss Diva. How I wish Miss India girls had got a chance to show their mettle to the audiences! Of course lot of people like the three girls and we do too, but let’s face it – Miss Diva girls are more popular.
Thus we feel that Femina Miss India 2015 should be done on lines of Miss Diva 2014. Put up a reality show, have some elimination rounds with a good mentor, preferably Lara, and see which beauty emerges out from the lot as the overall star. Miss World is looking for a stateswoman – an eloquent and beautiful lady with a good heart, sincerity and a will to help others. Having a logical approach to this makes a lot of sense! This whole article can be taken as a well-meaning suggestion along with immense appreciation of Miss Diva and how it was done. Hope it is taken in the right spirits!
What are your thoughts about this? Please share with us!
PC: Myntra.com, Miss Diva FB page, IBTimes.com, IVancouverdesi.com