Miss India East and city of joy

The City of Joy witnessed the eagerly awaited Grand Finale of the most prestigious and credible beauty pageant Pantaloons Femina Miss India East (PFMIE) 2009. Femina Miss India took a step forward in 2009 by introducing the East focused pageant for the first time. Who would be the first one to win the prestigious PFMIE title was the question on everyones mind. The announcement of the winners came amidst a glittering star-studded ceremony at the NICCO Park.



Of the 12 stunning beauties who made it to the Finale stage, Ms. Pooja Chopra was crowned the Winner of the PFMI East 2009 by Sanjeev Agrawal, CEO, Pantaloons and actress Tanushree Dutta and now gets a direct entry in the Top 10 finalists of the PFMI 2009 National pageant on April 5, 2009. Ms. Karishma Karnik was crowned the First runner-up by Editor Femina magazine Tanya Chaitanya and Indian football player Baichung Bhutia and Ms.Tulip Bhattacharya was crowned the Second runner-up by Sarbari Datta, renowned fashion designer and Hemant Malik, Chief Operating Officer-Trade Marketing and Distribution, ITC FMCG.



The esteemed panel of judges who decided the fate of the 12 lovely finalists comprised of Tanya Chaitanya (Editor- Femina magazine), Tanushree Dutta (actress), Baichung Bhutia (Indian football player), Sarbari Dutta (fashion designer) and Hemant Malik (COO - Trade Marketing and Distribution, ITC FMCG.)



The gala evening started with the contestants walking the ramp in spectacular creations by Akkriti which is the contemporary Indo Western Fusion Wear brand from Pantaloons. Designed specially for young women with attitude, who are free spirited, feminine and independent; the collection consists of dreamy pastels, printed floral, tropical vibrant flowers and juicy fresh prints. The charm of feminity and subtle beauty of flowers combined with chic styling created a perfect look.



Round Two saw a collection put together by famous designer duo MonaPali. The collection included a range of sarees wherein diverse art forms and different fabrics had been blended to create six yards of magic arising from Indian culture and heritage.



For the finale round, contestants walked in a collection designed by Agnimitra Paul. The collection titled pastel petals comprised of free flowing gowns of georgette with exquisite embroidery in different pastel colours made sure that the contestants looked no lesser than the petals of flowers. Each of the rounds was accessorised with exquisite jewellery by Nakshatra.



This grand event witnessed some of the most breathtaking performances by by Riya Sen, Koel Mallick, Bickram Ghosh, Monali Thakur and Jeet, which left the audience asking for more!



The contestant choreography for the show was done by none other than Marc Robinson, the Fashion Director and Contestant Director for PFMIE 2009. The spectacular acts were choreographed by Beat Busters and the show was hosted by June Maliah and Mir Afsar Ali. The event was put together and managed by 360 Degrees Experience.



Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Marc Robinson, Fashion Director and Contestant Director of PFMIE 2009 said, We are very pleased with the response and enthusiasm we have received for this first ever initiative of Femina Miss India in the East. The level of intellect and beauty in the East is commendable and each one of the contestants exude ample confidence & charm to take India to the global platform. We had very strong contenders for the title tonight. Id like to congratulate each of the winners for whom the journey has just begun.



Mr. Sanjeev Agrawal, CEO Pantaloons, said, For the last 11 years Pantaloons has been delivering fashion in the East. It is only appropriate that we also take upon the mantle of grooming fresh talent in East through Pantaloons Femina Miss India East. We are proud to be associated with the first ever Femina Miss India East pageant. The love and affection that people of Kolkata have given to Pantaloons for the last 11 years; we hope they will do the same with this pageant too and take it to the next level.



In the week that went by, the Pantaloons Femina Miss India East 2009 finalists were thoroughly trained at the ITC Sonar Bangla, Kolkata. The daunting task of preparing these 12 young women to achieve their aspirations was accomplished by a list of experts each renowned in their field like Marc Robinson Fashion Director and Contestant Director, Alicia Raut Ramp Walk Trainer, Dr. Rekha Sheth Nivea Visage Skin Care Expert, Sabira Merchant - Diction Expert, Tapas Kr Dikpati and Bikash Mandal Fitness Experts from Talwalkars, Ms. Bijoya Mukherjee Diet and Nutrition Expert from Talwalkars, June Maliah Personality Grooming Expert.



Femina Miss India core team also thanked on the occasion; Pantaloons the title sponsor, associate sponsors - Nivea Visage (Beauty and Skin Care Partner) & Nakshatra (crown and jewellery partner), ETV Bangla - telecast partner, Talwalkars Fitness Partner, Vogue Eyewear (Luxottica India Eyewear Pvt. Ltd.) - Co Partner, Radio Mirchi - radio partner, Times Out Of Home (TOOH) Outdoor partner, indiatimes.com - Online partner, Whyte & Mackay Beverage partner, Event Managed by 360 Degrees Experience, On Cue Productions - Stage & Wardrobe Management. Special thanks to Clint Fernandes for finale hair & make up, Anirudh Chakladhar - hair & make up artist for the Unveiling event, sub contests and the photoshoot and Indranil Mukherjee for fashion photography of the contestants during the training programme.



Apart from the names of pageant winners, the names of Sub-title winners were also announced:


PANTALOONS FEMINA MISS INDIA EAST 2009 SUB TITLE WINNERS

No.
Sub Title
Winner

1
Pantaloons Femina Miss East Fresh Face
Kankana Bakshi

2
Pantaloons Femina Miss East Catwalk
Pooja Chopra

3
Nakshatra Femina Miss East Sparkling Beauty
Pooja Chopra

4
Femina Miss East Talented
Debjanee Chakrabarti

5
Nivea Visage Femina Miss East Beautiful Skin
Kankana Bakshi

6
Talwalkars Femina Miss East Perfect 10
Pooja Chopra

7
Vogue Eyewear Femina Miss East Beautiful Eyes
Tulip Bhattacharya

8
Femina Miss East Beautiful Smile
Kankana Bakshi

9
Femina Miss East Beautiful Hair
Rommie Chahal

10
Femina Miss East Photogenic
Sneha Upaddhay