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ANCHAL SHARMA IS THE NEW MISS INDIA-CANADA
By Orion Judge in Toronto
Exclusive for the Voice Newspaper
Anchal Sharma, a charming 23 year old from Richmond Hill, Ontario, has been
crowned Miss India-Canada for 2010.
The
glittering event on Saturday night marked the 20th anniversary of the Miss
India-Canada Pageant, the largest South Asian beauty pageant in North
America. Sixteen Indo-Canadian
contestants competed for the title of Miss India-Canada at the Double Tree
Hilton in Toronto, Ontario. Amongst
those present at the pageant were last year’s winner Aanchal
Dogra and Bollywood star
and guest of honor, Suniel
Shetty. Suniel Shetty spoke about
various projects he was working on and his distinguished film career. When asked about what he found most
surprising about Canada, he responded without hesitation; “The people. The Indians in Canada are more Indian than
the Indians back home!”
Anchal Sharma placed first in the
pageant and was crowned Miss India-Canada.
Among her performances, Sharma delivered a wonderful Kathak performance to U2’s hit ‘Beautiful Day’ in the
talent round, which received an enthusiastic ovation. The crown places Sharma among the ranks of
winners such as Ruby Bhatia and Komal Sidhu, who have attained fame and success in the
entertainment world. “Right now, I
feel like I’m in a dream. I can’t put
it into words”, said Sharma. Aside
from the crown and title, Sharma also wins a generous list of gifts including
a cash scholarship, diamonds, electronics, and a round trip to India. When asked about her plans, she replied
“one of my missions is to travel and work around the world with a variety of
organizations, which this trip to India is going to allow me to do. Right now, my goal is to find the right
ones to associate with.”
Anokhi
Dalvi, 18, from Mississauga, Ontario, was the first
runner-up and the public favourite, winning the “People's Choice Award,”
selected by over 5 000 online voters. Maaza Jaan, 20, from Markham,
Ontario, was the second runner-up and was also voted “Miss Photogenic.” The contestants themselves had the
opportunity to vote on “Miss Congeniality”, which was won by Raman Basi, 20, from Calgary, Alberta.
Mesha
Toor, a 26 year old contestant from Vancouver,
British Columbia, summarized her experience rhapsodically; “I had a
blast! I did it for the exposure and
networking and I’m really proud of Anchal for
winning. I learned a lot, and I would
definitely recommend it to other girls.
I think it was a great opportunity!”
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