Coimbatore’s women

Miss and Mrs Tamilnadu (Coimbatore) were selected at a gala event organised at Le Meridien

THE WINNNERS Miss Alisha Prince and Mrs Sharmila Prince Photo: S. Siva Saravanan

The Coimbatore leg of the Miss and Mrs Tamilnadu 2012 pageant was held at Le Meridien. It was organised by Virgo Events that has hosted the Mrs. Chennai event for the past 12 years. This time round, Virgo decided to have pre-final events at Tiruchi, Madurai, Coimbatore and Chennai before having the finals at Chennai on November 3.

The participants registered online or at the Naturals Salon outlets in the city and the organisers were gung-ho with the response from Coimbatore. Around 250 applicants took part in the screening and auditions.

It was all about finding talent through debates, discussions, performances and interviews.

The evening commenced with the Naturals Mrs. Coimbatore finals where eight contestants attired in flowing lehangas, silk salwars, brocade saris and even track suits impressed the audience and judges with their walk down the ramp.

A mixed bag

The performances they gave was a mixed bag with singing, dancing, an aerobics routine, stand up comedy and mimicking movie dialogues. A

dappankoothu song rounded off the talent round. The tension in the crowd seemed to be mounting, with anxious husbands and children crossing their fingers and egging their mothers on. The final round was about communication where pairs of contestants were pitted against one another to speak on topics given by judges Prithvi and Radhika Prithvi of Tharakaram Silks and Lijo S. Chugnath of Pavizham Jewellers.

The Naturals Ms. Coimbatore had to go through the same rounds. College students, lecturers, paramedics and foreign students showcased their skills. Alyda from Rwanda, a student in the city, had the crowd cheering for her when she danced to Jai Ho . She said, “I love Coimbatore because the city gives me freedom to express myself which would not be possible in my country.”

The right answers

The questions posed by the judges covered a range of issues such as multi tasking in a household, compromising one’s individuality after marriage and choosing a suitable life partner.

The judges had the unenviable task of choosing two winners in each category who would then proceed to Chennai for the main event. The mother-daughter combo of Sharmila Prince, a veteran athlete who has been married for 25 years, and Alisha Prince, a dentist from the city walked away with the honours. The other two contestants joining them in Chennai are Neetika Prabhu, an orthodontist from R.S.Puram and Chathuri A.K. who is pursuing her Msc IT. The city’s hopes will be riding on their slim shoulders.

The Hindu was the media partner for the event.