Glitzy Miss India Worldwide pageant

It was an evening of blinding beauty. On Friday night, 20 beautiful women came together on one platform. And there was a pretty bit of competition as each of them vied for the crown of PC Jewellers Miss India Worldwide India.

Held at the Delhi Gymkhana club the contest was organized by the Indian Festival Committee, the same that has been organising the Miss India Pageants since 1980. The show began with an enthralling musical performance by singer Valentine Shipley. But the highpoint of the evening was Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra's dance show which had the audience cheering away.

Emcees Neha Dhupia and Kelly Dorjee kept the crowd entertained with their witty dialogue and glamorous presence. The other stunners of the night were actress Kim Sharma and singer Shibani Kashyap.

But in the truest sense the evening belonged to the ladies who had flocked from all parts of the country with the hope that their dreams would come true. The winner of the contest Mumbai girl Shagun Sarabhai will now be flown to Johannesburg for the grand finale that is to be held February 23. Twenty-year-old Shagun, a student of medicine, will now be a cultural ambassador for India. Divya Parameshwaran and Pooja Kanwal were crowned first and second runners up respectively. There were also awards like Miss Beautiful Smile, Miss Beautiful Skin, Miss Talented, Beauitiful Hair, Miss Perfect Ten and many more.