Glitz And Glory

When 14 gorgeous girls compete for one of the most coveted titles of the season, sparks are sure to fly. Throw a star-studded jury, a charged audience and fantastic performances into the mix and you have one heck of a show.

- Charu Roy

On a warm March evening in Gurgaon, over a dozen young girls powered through their nerves and went over last-minute prep. While some rushed to get their hair and makeup touched up one final time by the professionals,others huddled around their mentor and supermodel Nayanika Chatterjee for tips on how to calm the butterflies in their stomachs. It was, after all, a big night, at the ballroom of The Westin Gurgaon. The night when three gorgeous contestants would win the Rajnigandha Silver Pearls Femina Style Diva North 2017.

Prep time

For the contestants, the journey had begun several days ago. Of the many entries that poured in from India’s northern states, 14 were shortlisted. Over a period of three days, the selected girls were given lessons in grooming, beauty, speech and diction, and, of course, choreography. The girls would start their days early by hitting the gym at the Ramada Gurgaon Central, where they stayed for the duration of the training.

This was followed by a healthy breakfast, after which they attendted their sessions for the day. With one sub-contest every day; a skincare workshop by Sugandha Wahal, marketing manager, Spawake, on Day 2; a makeup and hair workshop by ace beautician Aashmeen Munjaal on Day 3; and choreography and mentoring workshops with Chatterjee, and speech and Q&A training sessions with Team Femina each day, you’d think the girls would be exhausted. But they were too focused on the goal, soaking up all the wisdom they could get from the experts.

​​Night of nights