Software engineer Rupali bags crown

New Delhi, Mar 28 (UNI) For once, it was not the glittering stars of the tinsel world of Mumbai who were the sole focus of attention at an event in the capital.

A host of "young beauties" hailing from several parts of Delhi lent a dash of glamour to the finale of the Miss Delhi contest 2007 which came to a close here on Monday night.

The eminent jury of the paegant comprising Bollywood celebrities Manisha Koirala, Gulshan Grover, Rati Agnihotri, Punit Issar and Babul Supriyo were held in thrall by the amazing grace, poise and intelligence displayed by the ten finalists.

The 21-year-old Rupali Khandel, a software engineer at Wipro in Gurgaon, was adjudged the winner of the Miss Delhi contest, the brainchild of U Turn Media (p) Limited, a company actively involved in talent search, audio and video production and entertainment shows.

Harleen Kochar, a second year student of the Delhi University, emerged the first runner up while 18-year-old Kareena Ahuja, also an international tennis star, was the second runners up.

Adding a touch of humour to the proceedings was the hilarious anchor Sajid Khan, who brought the house down with his witty repartees.

The event saw 45 beautiful girls from across the city showcase, over the past few weeks, their style, beauty and intelligence in their quest for the title of Miss Delhi.

Said Nikhil Tripathi, who heads the U Turn group,''though the event was held in the previous years also, this is the first time that it has been organised at a professional level.

For, this year, the biggest names in business including the Meyher Bhasin academy, Ketan Bhatia and the J D Institute of Fashion technology were involved in the shortlisting process wherein 45 contestants were whittled down to 30 and then to 16 young beauties who showcased their style and glamour at the semi finals held last week with former Miss world Yukta Mookhey as compere.'' Stating that the event was aimed at providing a ''long awaited platform for Delhi's young beauties to showcase their sense of style'', Mr Tripathi said,''henceforth, the company plans to make it an annual event.'' The winner of the event gets a cash prize of Rs one lakh besides a holiday for her entire family to Mauritius. The first and second runners up win a cash prize of Rs 50000 and Rs 25000 respectively besides a holiday for their families in various locations within India.

Speaking after the event, the anchor Sajid said,''events like this provide a good platform to freshers.'' UNI