And Miss India-Canada 2014 is … Annu Gaidhu of Mississauga!

TO 1 Winner-Group
Organizers Gautam Sharma and Sanjay Agnihotri, celebrity guest Isabelle Kaif, Annu Gaidhu, Miss India-Canada 2014, international R&B artist Raghav, and Hossein Hassani, Director of Marketing – General Motors of Canada. All photographs by M. Sagoo

ANNU Gaidhu of Mississauga, Ontario, won the title of Miss India-Canada 2014 at the glamorous 24th annual Miss India-Canada event last Saturday in Toronto. The show will be telecast next month on Zee TV Canada, the exclusive broadcast partner.

With a red carpet entrance, dazzling cocktail hour, and stunning stage, patrons were wowed right from the very beginning. The 16 delegates began the evening with a high-energy dance sequence accompanied by a solo trumpet player that captivated the audience.

Notable attendees were Senator Dr. Asha Seth, Patrick Brown, MP, well-known VJ from India and past Miss India-Canada title holder, Ruby Bhatia, and other dignitaries.

Aashish Rajhans introduced the emcees for the evening – Karen Johnson, TV personality, and Francis D’Souza, anchor / reporter for City News.  They introduced the panel of judges: Monisha Aurora, a Masters candidate at Western University, Suby Bhardwaj, barrister and solicitor, Dr. Alkarim Damji, physician, Parveen Dhanoa, Associate Styling Manager at Sears Canada Inc., Hossein Hassani, Director of Marketing at General Motors of Canada, Rajesh Jain, Managing Director of Circus World Displays Limited, Huse Madhavji, actor / writer, Saving Hope, Sharon Mejia, Special Projects Manager of Ethnic Channels Group, and Shusmita Sharma, candidate for Markham Council.

Suruchi Srivastava of Toronto won the Chevrolet Spark Award for Best Performance, Angel Bhathal of Winnipeg won Miss Photogenic, Natasha Balakrishnan of Brampton, Ontario, won Miss Congeniality, Annu Gaidhu won Sears Miss Pure NRG, and Shravya Gunda of North York, Ontario, won the People’s Choice Award.

Organizers, Sanjay Agnihotri and Gautam Sharma imtroduced Hollywood’s rising star, Isabelle Kaif, with the Special Achievement Award for her contribution to independent cinema.

2nd runner-up Suruchi Srivastava voted as the Chevrolet Spark Award winner for Best Performance.
2nd runner-up Suruchi Srivastava voted as the Chevrolet Spark Award winner for Best Performance.

The top five finalists were then announced in random order: Jasreen Cheema of Brampton, Natasha Balakrishnan, Rohini Singh of Calgary, Annu Gaidhu and Suruchi Srivastava.

The final segment involved asking each contestant a different question by the panel of judges.

The  audience was then treated to an electrifying performance by  Canadian-born, international R&B artist Raghav.

Patrons waited in complete silence as Francis and Karen announced the results from the accounting firm of Kunjar Sharma and Associates. The Second Runner-up was Suruchi Srivastava, the First Runner-up was Natasha Balakrishnan, and this year’s Miss India-Canada 2014 was Annu Gaidhu.

Annu was born and raised in the beautiful city of Mississauga, as the youngest daughter of three siblings. ‘Dreaming big, believing in yourself and always having a positive attitude’ has been a philosophy of hers which has kept her to remain grounded, confident and focused for this year. Currently, Annu is in the final year of her bachelor’s degree at Ryerson University, majoring in Child and Youth Care. Her ambition in becoming a child and youth care worker originates from a genuine desire she has to make a positive difference in people’s lives.

For Annu, one of her proudest accomplishments was becoming Toronto’s youngest certified yoga instructor at the age of 23. She has an infectious passion for teaching yoga and has trained adults and children for over five years now. As a first generation Indo-Canadian, family and heritage have always been important to her. It has been a dream come true to proudly represent her Indian culture and to celebrate diversity woven into the Canadian mosaic as the new Miss India-Canada 2014.

Sanjay Agnihotri and Gautam Sharma presenting the Special Achievement Award to Isabelle Kaif.
Sanjay Agnihotri and Gautam Sharma presenting the Special Achievement Award to Isabelle Kaif.

Sanjay Agnihotri said: “We are overwhelmed by the great support received from the community this year. Our team is already planning for next year since we will be celebrating 25 years—it’s going to be something special!”

For further information, visit www.MissIndiaCanada.com

TO 4 Sears Miss Pure NRG
Parveen Dhanoa, Associate Styling Manager, Sears Canada Inc., presenting the Sears Ms. Pure NRG award to Annu Gaidhu.

TO 5 Opening Dance-2