Guyana National Diwali Committee announces plans for…
THE Miss Diwali Sari Pageant is back and this time the organisers have promised to bring back the pageant to its original standard with the combination of beauty and elegance.

The Miss Diwali Pageant 2008 is being organised by the Guyana National Diwali Committee - Chaired by well-known ‘Rainbow Raani’ producer and proprietor of Bhagwan’s City Centre, Mr. Pradeep Samtani, and comprising a panel that includes former Miss Diwali 1993 Marcelle Veeren-Shewjattan; Ravindra Prashad of Prestige Entertainment; and Varsha Sharma.

The event will be held at the National Park in Georgetown on October 25 at 19:00 h and entrance fee is $500 and children are absolutely free while the winner of the contest will drive away in a brand new motorcar.

Interested persons who would like compete in the pageant must be between the ages of 17 and 25, and they are advised to send their applications accompanied by two photographs (face portrait and full body length) and a short biography to Prestige Entertainment at 46 Brickdam and Boyle Place, Georgetown.

During a press conference yesterday at the Le Meridian Pegasus Hotel in Kingston, also in the city, Samtani said that entertainment will be provided during the pageant which is programmed for ten contestants but noted that due to the numerous applications received, there is a possibility of it being extended.

“This is purely being done because of public demand and of course to bring back the standard and bring it to a real national level,” Samtami noted

“We have put in a closing date for October 10 for the contestants to file their applications and these contestants will be screened,” he stressed.

He said there is the support of former beauty queens with experience who will assist in training and preparing the girls to ensure a successful pageant.

“Just to make the standards very high….our pageant is opened to all Guyana,” he emphasised.

“Sari wearing is an art and if you trace the history of this there are people like Shakira Baksh and Pamela Lord who have been Miss Diwali and they have done superbly in the international arena,” he recalled.

“We have a lot of diamonds in Guyana and I think this add polish to them…there is always something that you are going to gain from a pageant, I do not think one loses from it,” he posited.

“Our pageant is going to be high class, classy and to an international level…we are hoping that people in the future pageants, will come from overseas just to see this pageant…we are aiming to make it an international something on a Guyanese calendar,” he noted.

Prashad revealed that a number of corporate sponsors are already onboard but noted that there is room for a lot more sponsors.

He said some of the sponsors include the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T), Banks DIH, Polar Commodities, King’s Jewellery, Steve’s Jewellery, Gizmos and Gadgets and the New GPC.

“We have a lot of sponsors onboard so it is going to be very professionally done and we can promise you it will be very entertaining and we will take the Diwali pageants back to what it used to be years ago,” he assured.

“I think you will all like to see the beauty and elegance of Diwali shows back in Guyana,” he exhorted.

Veeren-Shewjattan noted that the sari is a beautiful Indian wear and apart from learning the art of wearing and displaying the attire, the contestants will gain more knowledge about the festival of Diwali, how to apply make-up and importantly, increase their self-confidence.

“It is going to be like ‘back in the days’ when it was just a sari display and the intelligent segment,” she stated.