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The world at their feet

THE WORLD was their stage, literally. The 25 finalists of Pantaloons Femina Miss India 2007 vied for the honours on Sunday against a backdrop of famous structures across the world. Along with a huge globe bearing India's map...

models of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Big Ben and the Sydney Opera House provided a global feel to the setting at the MMRDA grounds as contestants, one after the other, floored the judges with their looks, confidence and ready wit.

A sensitive answer to the question ''If you had to convince a rural woman to compete in the Miss India pageant, what would you say to her?'' won Sarah Jane Dias of Mumbai the Pantaloons Femina Miss India World title. Her answer: ''I would first remind her that she has every right to such privileges as a Miss India would have. If she wins she could go back to her village and the improvement she would bring about would make the achievement of the pageant irreplaceable.''

Puja Gupta of New Delhi bagged the Pantaloons Femina Miss India Universe title. Asked by film-maker Madhur Bhandarkar, in the semi-final round, "What matters to you - style or fashion - and why?'', Puja answered, ''I think they both go side by side. Style is what fashion creates. Fashion is what makes you comfortable in your own skin.''

Pooja Chitgopekar, a doctor from New Zealand, won the Pantaloons Femina Miss India Earth title. Asked by singer Adnan Sami ''What is the one invention that has changed the face of the world?'' she answered, ''I would say electricity because that brought in industrial revolution. Come to think of it, we depend on electricity for everything." It forced Sami to quip, "Oh yeah, it powers my microwave too.''

For the panel of judges — Rohit Bal, Subhash Ghai, Rathi Vinay Jha, Malvinder Singh, Priyanka Chopra, Sanjay Dutt, Madhur Bhandarkar, Adnan Sami and Ujwala Raut — the task of choosing the winners was made difficult by the quality of the contestants' answers.