Dharmesh Parikh
Indian Newslink and Radio Tarana have been a great source of strength and support for Rhythm House, participants, contestants and others involved with Miss Indianz since its establishment in 2002.
As we celebrate the 15th Anniversary of this cultural extravaganza this year, I am gratified by the fact that Miss Indianz has grown beyond beauty pageants, to create opportunities for our young women to gain self-confidence, give vent to their talents and pursue the career of their choice.
Some of them have become models and many have been successful in international beauty contests while a few have joined the film industry in India.
Year after year, our contestants come from varied background- young women of Indian origin from India, Fiji, New Zealand, South Africa, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore and many other parts of the world.
This year’s event will see a budding dentist, a First Class Honours graduate in Chemical and Biological engineering and a professional in the hospitality industry. Each of them says that becoming eligible to participate in Miss Indianz was a part of their dream.
I am gratified.
Over the past 15 years, I have found hundreds of contestants saying that Miss Indianz is ‘a great experience, rewarding and empowering, and most important of all, it is fun.’
For many of them, this annual cultural programme has been a life-changer.
As well as celebrating this unique Kiwi Indian culture, Miss Indianz provides a platform for young women of Indian heritage to showcase their innate talents.
It has been the springboard for many dynamic careers over the past 15 years, and I hope that it will continue to be so for many years to come.
Miss Indianz 2017
The 15th Annual Edition of Miss Indianz will be held at Aotea Centre, Auckland City on Saturday, September 16, 2017. About 20 contestants, aged between 16 and 25 will take to the stage in the hope of taking home the Title Crown, the Runners-Up (First and Second) honours and/or one of several other individual titles and prizes.
Tickets will be on sale in August.
Indian Newslink continues to profile the contestants in this second instalment.
Norisha Chand
A positive mental attitude, friendliness and a spirit of adventure are among the attributes of Norisha Chand, who is currently studying Public Relations and Event Management at Unitec, Auckland.
“I am always full of energy; I love to be active and wish to travel all over the world. Most of all, I love swimming, snorkelling and dancing,” she said.
Born in Wellington and raised in Hamilton, Norisha is also keen to do a stint in modelling and decided to enter Miss Indianz 2017, which she said is “a big step towards the achievement of that aim and the means to gain self-confidence.”
Pictures of Norisha Chand by Andrew Bignall
Shalini Guleria
Reiterating our earlier statement that Miss Indianz brings together young women of high academic achievements is Shalini Guleria, who recently obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Chemical and Biological Engineering with First Class Honours from the University of Waikato in Hamilton.
Shalini plans to undertake Cancer research and obtain her doctorate and establish a charitable institution to help children and families suffering from chronic illnesses.
“Miss Indianz is a new challenge for me and is completely out of my comfort zone. I like to push boundaries and this contest will help me build my confidence and teach new skills,” she said.
Photos of Shalini Guleria by Sheril Mathew
Varsha Choudhary
Born and raised in the Pink City of Jaipur (Rajasthan), Varsha Choudhary is pursuing a Postgraduate Diploma in Health Service Management.
While her father was keen that her favourite daughter should become a University Lecturer, Varsha believes that she could give vent to her passion for people through dental care. However, her quest for exploring the world took her to the modelling profession.
“I reinvented myself as a model but my heart is still towards caring for people. I hope to become a qualified dentist over the next two years,” she said.
Meanwhile, Varsha hopes that Miss Indianz 2017 would provide her opportunities in showbusiness and as a talented artiste.
Pictures of Varsha Choudhary by Andrew Bignall
