Though she did not set herself apart from her eight rivals by winning any special prizes, 24-year-old Alana Seebarran rose to the occasion and fluently answered her question in the intelligence segment of the Miss India Guyana 2012 Pageant and was later announced the new queen.
The pageant which was staged at the Princess Hotel Poolside, saw nine young ladies vigorously contesting for the title which has earned the queen the opportunity to represent Guyana at the Miss India Worldwide Pageant in Suriname on February 25, 2012.
Earning herself the crown, Seebarran was also awarded a return trip to Mumbai, India, a 4-year University of Guyana scholarship and cash prizes.
The pageant, which was off to an appalling one and a half hours late start, saw an impressive judging panel, consisting of Miss Femina India 2004 and Miss Universe top 10 delegate Tanushree Dutta and filmmaker Mukesh Tyagi. The other judges were Liz Cox, Nicola Pierre and Marcelle Veer Seechand.
The evening progressed slowly as the nine contestants participated in the four segments; evening gown, Indian wear, talent and intelligence.
Among the top five were Tahirih Boodhoo, Hashana Komal, Artie Deodat and Katherina Roshana who were the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th runners-up respectively.
Hashana bagged the most special prizes: Best Evening Gown, Best Smile and Miss Photogenic. Artie was awarded the prize for Best Talent while Diana Hussain was given the title of Miss Congeniality. The other contestants were Varsha Arjune, Umadevi Bux and Sandiya Samaroo.
Sponsored by the New GPC, Alana had tremendous support from the inception and this may have contributed to her unshakable confidence and perseverance throughout the 3-hour pageant.
With an exceptional dance for her talent piece, Alana electrified the audience with a mixture of Kathak and filmi, which was met with loud cheers and applause. Prior to this, was the evening wear segment, during which the contestants were all the envy of the audience as they each wore unique, classic designs.
The Indian segment, however, was the talk of the evening, as all nine ladies appeared, fully decked out in their cultural garments, glittering from head to toe. They all had the opportunity to introduce themselves to the audience once more during this segment. However, Katherina failed to do so. Up to this point no one was guaranteed the crown and a lot rested on the final question, “State three attributes which in your opinion best describes an empowered woman,” which was worth a whopping 35 points.
Alana, in her response, stated, “I believe that an empowered woman is made up of compassion, strength and vulnerability. I believe that this is what a woman consists of because these are all the things that help us to be nurtured and without them we would not be because the hand that rocks the cradle; rocks the world”.
Briefly addressing the audience, Bollywood filmmaker Tyagi said there were massive displays of talent during the pageant and that Guyana had provided professional entertainment. He further stated that this country may be a great supplier of talent to the Bollywood industry.
“I am also trying to get into some production and if I’m given the chance, I would certainly like to pick up a few talents from here to be seen and shown to the world, the talent of Guyana,” he said.
The newly crowned queen is currently a junior manager while pursuing a degree in marketing and is hopeful of becoming an entrepreneur. This beauty enjoys dancing, listening to music, spending time with her family and fashion.
The audience were entertained during intervals by the Caribbean Hotshot Band and were also surprised by Miss India Guyana 2011 Roshini Boodhoo who performed a dance.
The sponsors were Ishara Dance Troop, Regal Stationery, LUX Entertainment, Apsara Magazine, Apsara Dance School, S. Boodhoo, Kamarang Inc, Rk’s Group of Companies and New GPC, National Television Network, Digicom, Cellular Plus, Glamour Designs, Lynette Mangar’s Exclusive Fashion and Trophy Stall.
