Smalltown girls’ uptown march

About 20 girls from small cities are being trained to be beauty queens. MiD DAY tracks their journey

Smalltown girls' uptown march

About 20 girls from small cities are being trained to be beauty queens. MiD DAY tracks their journey

They want to be Priyanka Chopra.

Following in the footsteps of the Bollywood diva from Bareilly, Richa Pandey of Satna in Madhya Pradesh and Rupika Chopra of Chandigarh have embarked on an aspirational journey from small town anonymity to international glamour. And what better way to start than with a beauty pageant.

Practising her walk in the elite environs of a five-star hotel, Rupika talked of her dreams of wearing the Miss India Worldwide-2009 crown. A dream that seemed more achievable today than just a month ago when she started from home.u00a0 The Chandigarh girl couldn't stop thanking self-styled healer Captain Vinod Nair and grooming expert Mehar Bhasin for her new avatar. "I am a confident person today. My public speaking skills were weak but Capt Nair is helping me," she said.

Rupika, an M Com student, is employed with a private company. "Here we are learning not only to look good, but to think positive as well."

For Richa, beauty pageants were a far cry from her engineering job. But she didn't mind the leap of faith. "I never knew looking good could involve so much hard work. But only hard work pays. It does not matter if you are from a small town or a metro," said Richa, who wants to be in Bollywood one day.

Bollywood is the final frontier for Priyanka Chaudhary, a Jat girl from Haridwar, as well. "I was an introvert. Now, I have become confident," said Priyanka, the daughter of a Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited officer.

For Capt Nair, turning plain Janes into stunning beauties is a delight. "I help these girls recognise their hidden talent and polish their personalities. Most of these girls hail from small towns and have lived in protected environments. We show them the world," said the former Army commando.