After rigorous auditions all over the state spanning months, difficult decision-making and long hours of grooming and practice, P.C. Chandra Goldlites Diva in association with The Telegraph finally found their golden face of 2023. The finals of P.C. Chandra Goldlites Diva was held at the lush P.C. Chandra Gardens on February 19, with judges Udipto Chandra, Prosenjit Chandra, Deepak Pramanik, Avijit Sen and celebrity guest and judge Rukmini Maitra, turning dreams into reality for the winners of the beauty pageant. Before the final results were announced, the penultimate moments consisted of a few more rounds that helped the judges in finalising the face of P.C. Chandra Goldlites Diva. The finals included three rounds, the ethnic wear round where the finalists walked the ramp in gorgeous lehngas designed by Delhi-based designer and artist Joy Mitra, followed by the western round where the finalists looked glamorous in cocktail gowns designed by city couturier Komal Sood. Out of the 24 finalists, 10 divas were shortlisted and went through a Q&A. Finally, the golden moment arrived and with her confidence, style, intelligence and pleasant demeanour, Tamanna Naha took away the crown. The first runner-up was Ahana Chatterjee and the second runner-up was Alkaria Hasmi. There were also a host of other titles that included Miss Photogenic, Miss Beautiful Hair, Miss Beautiful Smile, Miss Confidence, Miss Congeniality, Miss Popular Choice, Miss Perfect Catwalk and Miss Beautiful Smile

(L-R) Joy Mitra, Rukmini Maitra

Designer Joy Mitra who unveiled his new collection with the ethnic round, said: “Me and Nayanika wanted the colour palette to be very royal and that’s why I added gold, beige, crimson, orange and pink. I wanted the girls to look different so I have a lot of brocade, pure silks, ajrakh and hand embroidery. Also, I have used shawls as dupattas to make them stand out. The girls looked beautiful.”

Celebrity guest judge Rukmini Maitra looked stunning in a sleek black gown and smoky eyes at the grand finale. She said, “I think the top three was a clear choice between us judges. Usually, beauty pageants are all about beauty, but we have broken the stereotype and we have focused a lot on brains because that’s what these girls were representing, ‘beauty with brains’. In the Q&A round, these three girls came up with smart answers to very tough questions, which was excellent.”

Deepak Pramanik, founder and director of SEED Academy India, said: “We judged by certain parameters, based on which we scored the contestants. Apart from the Q&A round, we also looked at someone through the lens who will do well in an industry which deals with glamour, modelling, acting, etc. So the top three are all-rounders, which made us choose them.”

TV actress Darshana Banik (left) who was adjudged Miss Photogenic in the pageant in 2014 and winner of P.C. Chandra Goldlites Diva 2020, Aaindrilla Dutta relived their days.

(L-R) Komal Sood, Tamanna Naha

Designer Komal Sood who loved dressing up the 24 finalists, said: “We are launching our 2023 Spring Couture collection with P.C. Chandra Goldlites Diva in association with t2 and we are really excited. The collection is very red carpet, and the gowns have body-contouring silhouettes. The colour palette I chose for the gowns were from pastel shades like seashell white to jewel colours. The gowns are also heavily embellished and graphic to give a more sophisticated and jazzy vibe. I would say all the 24 finalists are winners and I would ask them to not stop after this and aim for the higher sky.”

The youngest participant in the pageant, Tamanna Naha hails from Siliguri. Studying BA (Hons.) in English, she takes interest in anchoring, modelling and acting. Ecstatic, she: “I’m still numb, and have no idea how I’m feeling right now. Evidently, I am overwhelmed, joyful and happy on being the winner of such a prestigious platform that P.C. Chandra Goldlites Diva is. I would like to thank P.C. Chandra Jewellers for giving me such a great opportunity and Nayanika ma’am for grooming us all the way here. It’s been a great journey, each and every one over here in these past few days has been a family to me and I’m going to miss it from tomorrow.” On being asked what were the struggles and challenges throughout the journey, she said, “Everything in life has struggles and I believe overcoming those is the only way to keep myself positive.”

Bengali band Bhoomi’s member Soumitra Ray performed at the event. Songs like Phagunero mohonai, Baranday roddur and many more entertained the audience.

Papai and Anannya of India’s Got Talent fame showed us some nail-biting and daredevil aerial acts on songs like Kar har maidaan fateh, Badal pe pao hai, which boosted the confidence of the contestants backstage

The first round, eastern wear, saw the 24 finalists walk the ramp gracefully in heavily embellished lehngas designed by Joy Mitra and accompanied by indie music and ghazals in the background. Mitra played with bright colours like gold, crimson, fuchsia pink and orange and the ethnic wear ensemble also included beautiful ajrakh dupattas contrasting and adding a distinct touch to the look. Big bindis and red roses in their hair completed the look. Make-up artist Aniruddha Chakladar accentuated their personality further with his magical touch.

The top three P.C. Chandra Goldlites Divas looked beautiful with their crowns, sashes and flower bouquets. (L-R): First runner-up Ahana Chatterjee from Calcutta who is doing her Bachelor in Education; winner Tamanna Naha; and second runner-up Alkaria Hasmi from Calcutta who is pursuing mass communication and videography studies.

(L-R)Itu Bhattacharjee was Miss Popular Choice, Priyosmita Ganguly won the Miss Perfect Catwalk title

(L-R) Avijit Sen, Udipto Chandra

Film director Avijit Sen said: “We had 24 finalists and two rounds to choose the top three, which was a tough job to do. We selected the top three because they not just looked beautiful but were very confident, and this is what we need to take such a dignified brand forward. And I’m sure the winner will make us proud as the new face of P.C. Chandra Jewellers.”

Udipto Chandra, director, P.C. Chandra Jewellers, said: “After a gap of two years we have held the sixth edition of Goldlites Diva with a phenomenal response of more than 7,000 entries. The grooming of Goldlites Diva is all about poise, grace and confidence, to make the contestants future-ready for whatever they choose to do in life. The contestants thoroughly enjoyed the process. P.C. Chandra thanks supermodel Nayanika Chatterjee, all the other groomers, families of participants and ABP for supporting and cooperating in making the Goldlites Diva a memorable experience.”

(l-r)Kajal Chhetri took home the title of Miss Congeniality, Prosenjit Chandra

“This time the P.C. Chandra Goldlites Diva was marvellous. All 24 girls were fantastic but we have to choose three of them every year, which involves a lot of brainwrecking tasks. We chose those three girls because their personalities stood out and most importantly they had photogenic faces. I wish all of them a successful future,” said Prosenjit Chandra, director, P.C. Chandra Jewellers

Ritu Pyne was adjudged Miss Beautiful Smile

In the western round, the finalists rocked the ramp in evening gowns that not only flattered their figures but added a copious amount of glam to their look. Designer Komal Sood chose classic shades like red, emerald green, black, ivory and white that also matched with the jazzy music.

(l-r) Nandini Mukherjee was presented with Miss Beautiful Eyes title, Alkaria Hashmi was adjudged Miss Photogenic

FEW INTERESTING QUESTIONS THE JUDGES ASKED IN THE Q&A ROUND:

If you woke up as a man, what is the first thing you would do and how would you react?

How important is it to be a multitasker?

Who do you think is an ideal life partner?

How do you feel about social media?

What are the three things you would take with you if you have to leave your home in 5 minutes?