Miss Tibet Beauty Pageant kicks off with swimsuit round

Dharamsala, June 5 (ANI): The ninth edition of the Miss Tibet Beauty Pageant 2010 kicked off with the swimsuit round on Friday (June 4), here.

Only four contestants participated in the pageant.

And according to pageant director Lobasang Wangyal, the low turnout can be attributed to Tibetan society being conservative and the absence of a home country.

"As you all know that we don't have our own country so it is not at all an easy job to do. At the same time the Tibetan society is not so open and it's still a conservative society," he said.

Nevertheless, the contestants seemed undaunted by these issues and were enthusiastic about the competition.

"I feel grateful that I got this opportunity to develop my inner self and I will also do something for Tibetan issues," said Tenzin Namchoe, a participant.

This year, the contest is officially titled as 'Kingfisher Miss Tibet Pageant 2010', as it is sponsored by Kingfisher.

The winner will receive a cash prize of Rs 1,00,000 ($2,160). (ANI)