The lawns of Poona Club were resplendent with a glitter that rivalled even the stars above. On centre stage were the winners of the Femina Miss India 2000 contest. In company of some achievers of before -- Sushmita Sen, Aishwarya Rai, Diana Hayden and Yukta Mookhey. Facing them was the panel of judges... Shah Rukh Khan, Juhi Chawla, Waheeda Rehman, Pritish Nandy, Mohammed Azharuddin, Anjoli Ela Menon, Zee Network chairman Subhash Chandra Goel, perfume queen Carolina Herrera, and Marcus Swarovski. Lara Dutta, a 21-year-old model, bagged the Femina Miss India crown. She will represent the country at the Miss Universe contest. First runner-up Priyanka Chopra, crowned Femina Miss India World, will be the candidate for Miss World pageant. Hyderabad lass Diya Mirza, chirpy at sweet 17+1, was the second runner-up, the Femina Miss India Asia Pacific. Preperations for the contest had begun much earlier. Pune was humming with activity almost a week before the event. "Setting up the stage, rehearsals, co-ordinating the celebrity judges, getting permissions, getting reservations... There was so much work that it was unbelievable!" said an organiser. The activities peaked on the evening of January 14. Late night, the crowds at Hotel Holiday Inn went into a tizzy when they espied moviestars Juhi Chawla, Mohammmed Azharuddin and Shah Rukh Khan entering through the back door. For a moment it looked like it would tear through the security cover and make a dash for the stars. The preliminary rounds began around 0830 hours Saturday at the hotel. These included the swimsuit round and the one-to-one with the judges. In the evening, the programme commenced 15 minutes late. Malaika Arora and Rahul Khanna were the comperes. Must concede that they did an excellent job. But the one who stole hearts was veejay Cyrus Broacha, with his on-the-spot interviews. He added the much-needed zing to the otherwise staid and 'purfeect' lines of the rest. Also humour. Juhi's question to a contestant: "If you were granted a sixth sense what would you like it to be?' Stumped, she came up with a weak 'I would like to be a magician.' But Shah Rukh's longish query about whom the contestant would chose between him, Azhar and Swaroski drew an equally longish reply. The contestant replied, to thunderous applause, that she would go for the ex-captain of the Indian team so that he could do the country proud and she could go home to tell him that she was equally proud of him as was his country! The entertainment rounds were noteworthy. There was Shaggy with his 'boombastic' numbers, foot-tapping songs from Noble Savages and memorable ones from the Deep Forest. Breathtaking acrobatics by the Safari Cats, come all the way from Africa, drew terrific applause. The former achievers at international pageants were called on stage. Thus, besides Sen, Rai, Hayden and Mookhey, there were Namrata Shirodkar, Madhu Sapre, Manpreet Brar, Diya Chohan, Ruchi Malhotra, Shweta Jaishankar and Diya Abraham. The maximum applause went to Sen who spoke with tears brimming. She won the hearts of many by asking the audience to applaud the parents of the contestants. And then by telling the parents of those who did not make it to the finals not to be disappointed because she felt they would be achievers in some other field, that just making it to the event was an achievement in itself. "My father told me when I became Miss Universe that my family did not now consist of just my father and mother," she said. "I am happy to have a billion Indians as my family." The crowd went berserk clapping. On my way out I overheard a close associate of Lara Dutta's friend comment: "Lara is a terrific girl. Though she has no formal training she has been working from an early age. She has bagged quite a few prestigious assignments to date. She had supreme confidence even when she was a novice. She always had this I-know-what-I-want-to-be-and-I-will-achieve-it attitude without a trace of arrogance in it. She is supremely confident. "Speak to the people whom she began her career with her and they will only reiterate this statement. Never once was the Should-I-or-should-I-not?' attitude ever visible with her. "An instance I remember was when we were on a show. We missed the train. There was panic and chaos and confusion galore. Everyone was snapping at each other, but she was cool. Very composed and thinking because she had an exam to give the following day. Even under such circumstances she was composed..." she ended. To a large extent, it is that composure that got her the Miss India crown. Hopefully, it will see her through the rest of her dreams. K S Sanjay is now an ardent fan of Lara
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