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MISS INDIA NEW YORK 2007: Neha Multani!
The winner Neha Multani being congratulated by the First Runner Up - Namitha Thanickal and the Second Runner Up - Rattan Kaur
Neha Multani Crowned Maaza Miss India New York 2007
In a spectacular function held on November 11, Neha Multani of Queens , New York , was crowned Maaza Miss India New York 2007. A graduate with Bachelor of Science majoring in Public Health, Neha, 21, was declared winner of the 25th Maaza Miss India New York. The first runner-up position went to Namitha Thanickal, 21, and the second runner-up was Rattan Kaur, 19, of Sunnyside, New York. The other two finalists in the top-five were Annushka Prabhudayal and Tanzie Variava.
Organized by the IFC, a pioneer in organizing pageants and fashion shows, the pageant was held at the Community Center Auditorium in Flushing, Queens. . Twelve contestants from the New York area were selected after an audition to participate in this year's event.
The curtain opened with the song "masha allah" from the recently released film Saawariya performed by the outgoing Miss India New York, Nisha Mirchandani, who led all the contestants to the stage. The dance was choreographed by Sonalee Vyas... A crowd over five-hundred people cheered all the contestants with a round of applause. The contestants participated in the Indian segment, Evening gown segment and then followed by talent. During these segments, the audience and the judges got to know more about the contestants and their accomplishments.
The talent segment brought out the best in the contestants as well as the best of the rich traditions of diverse Indian culture. The unique element one could not miss among the items performed was that the vast majority of contestants were second-generation Indian-Americans, and yet most of the items presented were of Indian origin.
Exciting entertainment items were provided by Arya Dance Academy , Nartan Rang Dance School, Hindu Temple Youth Club and child performer Nikita. Another highlight of the evening was a dazzling fashion show with top American models and presented by Shekhar Rahate.
Then came the announcement of winners. The Best Talent Award went to Annushka Prabhudayal, who had performed a mix chutney dance and Kajra Re. Namitha Thanickal was named Miss Beautiful Eyes, Shaveta Sachdeva was named Miss Photogenic, while Soofia Ali was named Miss Beautiful Smile. After a question-answer segment with the five finalists, Rattan Kaur was announced as Second Runner-Up, Namitha Thanickal as First Runner-Up, and Neha Multani as the winner. The winners will represent New York in the Twenty Sixth Annual Miss India USA to be held in New Jersey later this year. Miss India USA is the longest running Indian pageant outside India.
Dharmatma Saran, Founder and Chief Organizer of the event, thanked the community for its support and presented appreciation plaques to Mr. Rajgopal of Maaza Beverages, Anil Mathur of Air-India and Shekhar Rahate for their enthusiastic support in organizing the pageant.
Panel of Judges consisted of A.K. Mathur - Regional Director - Air-India, Anna Ling - President - Miss Asia Universe, Praveen Kumar - Consul Community Affairs - Consulate General of India, Anu Vivek - former Miss India and GM Jet Airways and Swati Vaishnav - President - Nartan Rang Dance School. Choreography of the show was done by Shekhar Rahate; the emcees were Bhavna Toor and Shruti Mathur. Tabulation was done by Andy Bose, CPA, assisted by Divya Mathur and Kiran Hari
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Pictures by M. N. Akthar
Nisha Mirchandani, the outgoing queen, crowns the winner Neha Multani.
Namitha Thanickal - First Runner Up.
Rattan Kaur - Second Runner Up
Tanzie Variava - Top Five
Annushka Prabhudayal - Top Five
Soofia Ali - Miss Beautiful Smile
Shaveta Sachdeva - Miss Photogenic
Namitha Thanickal - Miss Beautiful Eyes
Annushka Prabhudayal - Best Talent
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Judges with the Winner
Emcees - Bhavna Toor & Shruti Mathur
Fashion Show by Shekhar Rahate
The Top Five
Neelam & Dharmatma Saran with the winner
The Judges - Praveen Kumar, Anu Vivek, Swati Vaishnav, Anna Ling and Anil Mathur
Nisha Mirchandani leading the opening dance
Kiran Hari & Neelam saran with the winner
IFC members with the winner
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MISS INDIA NEW YORK 2006: Nisha Mirchandani!
Nisha Mirchandani Crowned Maaza Miss India New York 2006
In a spectacular function held on June 3, Nisha Mirchandani of Staten Island, New York, was crowned Maaza Miss India New York 2006. Nisha has a BBA in Finance and is currently a financial analyst with JP Morgan. Nisha, 25, was declared winner of the 24th Maaza Miss India New York. The first runner-up position went to Pooja Kondabolu, 18, of Long Island, and the second runner-up was Anusha Kambhampaty, 17, of Long Island, New York. The other two finalists in the top-five were Namitha Thanickal of Queens and Khushboo Shah of Manhattan. Maaza Miss India New York is the largest running Indian pageant outside India. Besides. Maaza Beverages, the other major sponsors were Air-India & American Airlines.
Organized by the IFC, a pioneer in organizing pageants and fashion shows, the pageant was held at the prestigious Haft Auditorium of Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan.The Indian American Nurses Association was the co-presenter of the event. Thirteen contestants from the New York area were selected after an audition to participate in this year’s event.
The curtain opened with all the contestants to the stage in dazzling Indian outfit. A crowd over eight-hundred people cheered all the contestants with a round of applause. The contestants participated in the Evening gown segment, followed by Talent. During these segments, the audience and the judges got to know more about the contestants and their accomplishments.
The talent segment brought out the best in the contestants as well as the best of the rich traditions of diverse Indian culture. The unique element one could not miss among the items performed was that the vast majority of contestants were second-generation Indian-Americans, and yet most of the items presented were of Indian origin.
Exciting entertainment items were provided by child performer Foram Parmar, Arya Dance Academy, Satrangi Dance Fusion, Youth Group of Hindu Temple of Flushing and Yuva Dance Group. An exclusive fashion show was presented by Anil Das for Karishma.
Then came the announcement of winners. The Best Talent Award went to Shraddha, who had performed a piece from the movie Lagaan on Piano. Anusha Kambhampaty was named Miss Beautiful Eyes; Renita Bakshi was named Miss Photogenic and Bali Bharj was named Miss Beautiful Smile. After a question-answer segment with the five finalists, Anusha was announced as Second Runner-Up, Pooja as First Runner-Up, and Nisha as the winner. The winners will represent New York in the Twenty Fifth Annual Miss India USA to be held later this year in New Jersey. Miss India USA is celebrating its Silver Anniversary this year.
The panel of judges consisted of Dr. Neena Malhotra - Consul Culture, Pandit Satya Narayan Charka - Kathak Exponent, Saadia Samsie - Arya dance Academy, Shekhar Rahate - prominent choreographer, Ming Ho - Miss China USA and Kathereen Pettett of Indian American Nurses Association.
Dharmatma Saran, Founder and Chief Organizer of the event, thanked the community for its support and Dr. Shashi Agarwal, a prominent cardiologist and Official Physician of the pageant, presented appreciation plaques to Mr. Rajagopal of Maaza Beverages, Dalip Nim of Air-India and Theresa Sebastian, President - Indian American Nurses Association for their enthusiastic support in organizing the pageant.
The emcees were Subrina Dhammi and Deep Kaur. Score tabulation was done by Dharmangi Bhatia,CPA.
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Pictures
by M. N. Akthar
Nisha Mirchandani being
crowned by Ming Ho, Miss China USA
Nisha Mirchandani being congratulated by Pooja Kondabolu (First Runner Up) & Anusha Kambhampaty (Second Runner Up)
The Top Five
Pooja Kondabolu
First Runner Up
Anusha Kambhampaty
Second Runner Up
Renita Bakshi
Miss Photogenic
Shraddha
Best Talent
Bali Bharj
Miss Beautiful Smile
Anusha Kambhampaty
Miss Beautiful Eyes
Meet The Contestants
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MISS INDIA NEW YORK 2005
Tashi Sharma Crowned Maaza Miss India New York 2005
In a spectacular function held on August 13, Tashi Sharma of Queens , New York , was crowned Maaza Miss India New York 2005. A graduate in Computer Science and at present a financial analyst at the Citi Bank, Tashi, 22, was declared winner of the 23 rd Maaza Miss India New York. The first runner-up position went to Nisha Mirchandani, 24, Staten Island, co-incidentally also a financial analyst with JP Morgan and the second runner-up was Pooja Kondabolu, 17, of Long Island , New York . The other two finalists in the top-five were Prithi Dhanajay of Queens and Aarti Patel of Long Island .
Organized by the IFC, a pioneer in organizing pageants and fashion shows, the pageant was held at the prestigious Haft Auditorium of Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan . Twelve contestants from the New York area were selected after an audition to participate in this year's event.
The curtain opened with the classic song "Jeeya Jale" from the film Dil Se performed by the outgoing Miss India New York, Subrina Dhammi, who led all the contestants to the stage. Subrina has just joined NBC TV as Staff Reporter after her graduation. A crowd over seven-hundred people cheered all the contestants with a round of applause. The contestants participated in the Evening gown segment, followed by Talent, and then Indian dress. During these segments, the audience and the judges got to know more about the contestants and their accomplishments.
The talent segment brought out the best in the contestants as well as the best of the rich traditions of diverse Indian culture. The unique element one could not miss among the items performed was that the vast majority of contestants were second-generation Indian-Americans, and yet most of the items presented were of Indian origin.
Exciting entertainment items were provided by child performer Foram Parmar, Arya Dance Academy , Satrangi Dance Fusion and Wanted Asiqz. An exclusive fashion show was presented by Anil Das for Karishma.
Then came the announcement of winners. The Best Talent Award went to Tashi, who had performed a dance from the movie Aur Pyar Ho Gaya. Monica Nagpal was named Miss Beautiful Eyes, Krishna Dholakia named Miss Photogenic, while Tashi Sharma named Miss Beautiful Hair and Nisha Ramchnadani named Miss Beautiful Smile. After a question-answer segment with the five finalists, Pooja was announced as Second Runner-Up, Nisha as First Runner-Up, and Tashi as the winner. The winners will represent New York in the Twenty Fourth Annual Miss India USA to be held at Tampa , Florida , also organized by the IFC.
Dharmatma Saran, Founder and Chief Organizer of the event, thanked the community for its support and Promod Gupta, Regional Director, Air-India, presented appreciation plaques to Mr. Rajagopal of Maaza Beverages, Shilpa Patel, Susmita Patel, Rohit Baxi and Dharmangi Bhatia for their enthusiastic support in organizing the pageant. Mr. L. Rajagopal of Maaza Beverages complimented the organizers for promoting Indian culture, values and performing arts.
Choreography of the show was done by Teena Sukharam and Shilpa Patel, the emcees were Deep Kaur and Priya Issac. Tabulation was done by Dharmangi Bhatia,CPA.
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Pictures
by M. N. Akthar
Tashi being
crowned by the outgoing queen Subrina
Tashi being congratulated by Nisha Mirchandani (First Runner Up) & Pooja Kondabolu (Second Runner Up)
The Top Five
Nisha Mirchandani
First Runner Up
Pooja Kondabolu
Second Runner Up
Monica Nagpal
Miss Beautiful Eyes
Krishna Dholakia
Miss Photogenic
Tashi Sharma
Best Talent
Nisha Merchandani
Miss Beautiful Smile
Meet The Conestants
Mr & Mrs L. Rajagopal with the winners Tashi & Nisha
The Judges From L to R
Ana Ling, Feroze Alan, Rupal Patel, Nirmala Balasubramaniam, Meena Gupta, Lal Motwani, Ganga Mukkavilli
Shilpa Patel (choreographer) recieving an appreciation plaque from Promod Gupta Regional Director Of Air India while MC Priya Issac looks on
Chief organizers Neelam & Dharmatma Saran with Tashi & Nisha
Fashion show by Anil Das for Karishma
Tashi with Miss India Worldwide 2003 Purva Merchant
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MISS INDIA NEW YORK 2003
Subrina Crowned Maaza Miss India New York
In a spectacular function held on July 26th, Subrina Dhammi of Poughkeepsie, New York was crowned Maaza Miss India New York 2003. Subrina, 21, a junior at Syracuse University, majoring in Broadcast journalism, plans to pursue a career in the same field. The first runner-up position went to Anjali Bhardwaj, 20, Manhasset Hills, New York, and the second runner-up was Diva Ranade, 17, of Staten Island, New York. The other two finalists in the top-five were Neerja Chaturvedi of Manhattan and Aarthi Bathija of Bayport, New York.
Organized by the IFC, a pioneer in organizing pageants and fashion shows, the pageant was held at the Hindu Temple Auditorium in Flushing, Queens. Fourteen contestants from the New York area were selected after an audition to participate in this year's event.
The curtain opened with a classic medley "kaise samjhaoon?" followed by an Adnan Sami number performed by outgoing Miss India New York, Amrita Persaud, who led all the contestants to the stage. A crowd over seven-hundred strong cheered all the contestants with a round of applause. The contestants participated in the Evening gown segment, followed by Talent, and then Indian dress. During these segments, the audience and the judges got to know more about the contestants and their accomplishments.
The talent segment brought out the best in the contestants as well as the best of the rich traditions of diverse Indian culture. The unique element one could not miss among the items performed was that the vast majority of contestants were second-generation Indian-Americans, and yet most of the items presented were of Indian origin.
Exciting entertainment items were performed by child performer Nikita Gayaram and Sonalee Vyas's dance group "Naach Sensation." A special performance as done by Vijachander Telidevara as Sai Baba.
Then came the announcement of winners. The Best Talent Award went to Subrina, who had performed a traditional Bharat Natyam piece known as "Thilana." The top five finalists were Aarthi Bathija, Anjali Bhardwaj, Neerja Chaturvedi, Subrina Dhammi, and Diva Ranade. After a question-answer segment with the five finalists, Diva was announced as Second Runner-Up, Aarthi as First Runner-Up, and Subrina as the winner. The winners will represent New York in the Twenty-Second Annual Miss India USA to be held at the Ramada Plaza Hotel in Edison, New Jersey on August 24th, also organized by the IFC. After having been held in cities such as San Francisco, Tampa, Dallas, and Los Angeles, the Miss India USA returns to the Tri-State area this year.
Air-India gave a round-trip ticket to India to the winner and the other prizes were furnished by Apra Bhandari, Goodluck Worldwide, Karishma Boutique, Sam & Raj, and IFC.
Dharmatma Saran, Founder and Chief Organizer of the event, thanked the community for its support and presented appreciation plaques to Mr. Rajagopal of Maaza Beverages and Ms. Seema Andhare of Air-India for their enthusiastic support in organizing the pageant. The Women's Achievement Award was given to Mrs. Chandra Harpaul, the only woman President of a Commercial Airline in the world. Mr. Vijaychander Telidevara was given a Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to Telegu Cinema.
Choreography of the show was done by Teena Sukhram and the emcees were Bhavna Toor, Megha Lathigara, and Deep Kaur.
The panel of judges was led by Mrs. Seema Andhare, Regional Director of Air-India as Chief Judge, reputed fashion designer Aliya Khan, Telegu film actor Vijaychander Telidevara, educationalist and cultural activist, Lakshmi Sundararaman, and CEO of Universal Airlines, Chandra Harpaul. Tabulation of scores was done by Bhupinder Chopra of Guru Accounting Services.
Pictures
by Suresh Jilla & M. N. Akthar
Subrina being
crowned by the outgoing queen Amrita
Anjali Bhardwaj
First Runner Up
Diva Ranade
Second Runner Up
Neerja Chaturvedi
Top Five
Aarti Bathija
Top Five
Subrina Dhammi
Best Talent
Anjali Bhardwaj
Miss Photogenic
Subrina being congratulated by Anjali (First Runner Up) & Diva
(Second Runner Up)
The Top Five
The Judges
From left to right, Seema Andhare (Chief Judge, Regional Director
Air India), Chandra Harpaul (Chairwoman, Universal Airlines), Alia
Khan (Fashion Designer), Vijay Chandar (Telugu Movie Actor), Lakshmi
Sundararaman (Singer & Cultual Activities)
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Subrina receiving
her round trip ticket to India from Seema Andhare
Subrina flanked by Mr & Mrs L Rajagopal of MAAZA, Seema Andhare
and the organizers Neelam & Dharmatma Saran
Vijay Chandar receiving lifetime achievement award for his contributions
to Telugu movies
Mr L Rajagopal with his appreciation plaque
Mrs Chandra Harpaul receiving Woman's Achievement Award from Dharmatma
Saran
Seema Andhari receives appreciation plaque from Dharmatma Saran
Amrita receives appreciation plaque from Mrs. L Rajagopal
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Meet
The Contestants
Aarti
Anjali
Ashita
Diva
Karen
Maria
Neerja
Nidhi
Paayal
Sheetal
Shweta
Sonia
Subrina
Vitasha
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MISS INDIA NEW YORK 2002
Amrita Crowned Maaza Miss India New York
In a glittering function held on July 20, Amrita Persaud of Jamaica, Queens, was crowned Maaza Miss India New York 2002. Amrita, 22, a senior at New York University majoring in Anthropology, plans to become a dentist. Her hobbies include classical Indian dancing, worldwide traveling and humanitarian and community services.
The first runner-up position went to Sonpreet Bhatia, 23; of White Plains and the second runner-up was Megha Lathigara, 19, of Long Island. The other two five finalists were Stuti Gupta of Flushing and Maria Rahman of Queens.
Organized by the I.F.C., a pioneer in organizing pageants and fashion shows, the pageant was held for the first time at the relatively new Hindu Temple Auditorium in Flushing, Queens on July 20, 2002. Seventeen contestants from the New York area were selected after an audition to participate in this year's event. This year's pageant was markedly different from those of previous years, because for the first time, the New Jersey preliminary had been held independently from the New York pageant. This is the twenty first year of the Miss India New York Pageant.
The curtain opened with an exciting dance "jogan" by the outgoing Miss India New York Bhavna Toor, who led all the contestants to the stage. Over seven hundred strong crowd cheered all the contestants with a round of applause. All contestants then paraded themselves before an enthusiastic audience who kept cheering the contestants who were dressed in dazzling Indian dress followed by the evening gown segment.
The talent segment, performed by top ten contestants, brought out the best in them and the best of the rich traditions of diverse Indian culture. The surprising element one could not miss among the items performed was that most of the contestants were second generation Indian Americans, and yet most of the items presented were of Indian origin.
Then came the announcement of winners. The Best Talent Award went to Malabika Das, who performed a traditional Odissi temple dance. The top five finalists were Megha Lathigara, Stuti Gupta, Sonpreet Bhatia, Maria Rehman, and Amrita Persaud. After a question/answer sessions with the top five finalists, Megha was announced as Second Runner-Up, Sonpreet as First Runner-Up, and Amrita as the winner. Both Amrita and Sonpreet will represent New York in the Twenty First Miss India USA Pageant to be held in Los Angles on August 31 also organized by the IFC.
Dharmatma Saran, Founder and Chief Organizer, thanked the community for its support and presented appreciation plaque to Mr. Rajagopal of Maaza Beverages for their enthusiastic support in organizing the pageant. Pandit Satya Narayan Charka was honored for his contributions to Indian classical dance. Air-India was another major sponsor of the event.
Entertainments for the evening were provided by award winning performers - Dheeraj Gayaram, Swati Vaishnav of Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan, Dheeraj Gayaram, Satrangi Group of New Jersey, Sonalee Vyas and child performers Nikita Gayaram and Swati Bindra.
Ganga Mukkavilli, CPA, did the tabulation of the results. The panel of judges included Prabha Bhandari, Satya Narayan Charka, Usha Chopra, Dennis Daniel and Dr. Susy Abraham.
Highlights
from Miss India NY 2002
Amrita Persaud
being crowned by the outgoing queen Bhavna Toor
Sonpreet Bhatia
First Runner Up
Megha Lathigara
Second Runner Up
Maria Rahman
Top Five
Stuti Gupta
Top Five
The Top Five
Malabika Das
Best Talent
Amrita Persaud
and Bhavna Toor flanked by title sponsors Mr and Mrs Raja Gopal
and Chief Organizers Neelam and Dharmatma Saran.
The Judges
Prabha Bhandari, S. N. Charka, Usha Chopra, Dennis Daniel and Dr.
Suzy Abraham
Dharmatma Saran
honors S. N. Charka
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Mr. Raja Gopal
of MAAZA being honored by Bhavna Toor
The Emcees
Teena Sukhramwala, Deep Kaur and Shameen
Amber Khan Miss Pakistan USA interviewed by Deep Kaur
The Top Ten
Some Contestants...
Bhavna Toor performs the opening number
Performance by
Satrangi Group
Folk dance by Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan choreographed by Swati Vaishnav
International Dancer Dheeraj Gayaram
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Performance by
Satrangi Group
Performance by child artist Nikita Gayaram
Some contestants
Megha and Sonpreet
with Neelam Saran
Some contestants...
Bhavna giving her farewell message
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MISS INDIA NEW YORK 2001
Bhavna crowned Maaza Miss India New York - Donates prize money for earthquake victims
Six hundred enthusiastic viewers applauded Bhavna Toor of Manhattan as she was crowned Miss India New York 2001. Bhavna, 22, a senior at Hunter College majoring in Political Science and Economics, plans to become a Human Rights Lawyer, so that " I can become a potent force fighting against human rights violations of oppressed people all over the world." "I want to prove that a beauty queen is not just someone with a pretty face", said Bhavna after winning the coveted crown, "but a strong, intelligent and courageous women that lives her life with vigor and passion, and thus becomes a beauty queen in every sense of the word."In the same spirit, Bhavna donated her prize money of Rupees twenty five thousand for earthquake victims.
Organized by the India Festival Committee, pioneer in organizing pageants and fashion shows, the pageant was held at the prestigious Queens Theatre In The Park on February 10. After auditioning over 100 aspirants, twenty contestants were selected from New York/New Jersey area to participate in the pageant this year.
Ritu Upadhyay, the reigning Miss India Worldwide, who acted as Guest Host started the pageant by observing silence for in memory of earthquake victims in India. Than the curtain opened with a scintillating dance "mehboob mere" by the outgoing Miss India New York Asha Hanif who led all the contestants to the stage. Than all contestants paraded themselves before an enthusiastic audience who kept cheering the contestants who were dressed in dazzling Indian dress followed by the evening gown segment.
The talent segment, performed by top ten contestants, brought out the best in them and the best of the rich traditions of diverse Indian culture. The surprising element one could not miss among the items performed, was that most of the contestants were second generation Indian Americans, and almost every one presented an item that was basically of Indian origin.
One of the highlights of the pageant was a dazzling fashion show presented by Fashion Designer, Feroze, who also choreographed the pageant. Indian and American models wearing exclusive designer wear creations by Feroze kept the audience enthralled. The law offices of Rani Emandi sponsored the fashion show. Teena Sookhramwala, Sonali Vyas, Ankeeta Saran and Sourabh Jain provided other entertainments.
Than came the moment of announcement of winners. The Best Talent Award went to Amrita Shergill, Rasmi Prabhu got the Miss Friendship while Miss Popularity went to Avani Banker. The top five finalists were Reena Puri, Sonia Badreshia, Amrita Shergill, Sheetal Talsania and Bhavna Toor. After a question/answer with the top five finalists, Sheetal Talsania was announced as Second Runner-Up, Sonia Badreshia as the First Runner-Up and Bhavna Toor as the winner.
On behalf of the India Festival committee, Dr. Shashi Agarwal, presented a draft for Rupees twenty five thousand for the Prime Minister Relief Fund. Prakash Parekh presented a draft for Rupees twenty thousand to the winner who donated it to Prime Minister relief Fund. Ganga Mukkavilli, CPA, did the tabulation. The panel of judges included Anna Ling, Rakesh Capoor, Dr. Thomas Abraham, Ayesha Haqi, Dr. Kavita Sinha, L.Rajagopal and Krishna Patel. TV Asia, Jewels India Gems, Ravi Chopra, Karishma Boutique, Feroze, Bibi magazine, Moontime Corner, Rakesh Anand, Arvind Bhandari and Sam & Raj, furnished prizes to the winners. Dharmatma Saran, Founder and Chief Organizer of the pageant thanked everybody for their enthusiastic support especially Maaza Beverages, Air-India and TV Asia for their sponsorship.
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