Dress circle

every single one of the fa femina miss india contestants had their noses buried in the newspapers over breakfast and even on the ride across town to the nac grounds. they trouped to the little shamiana - the one shaded spot in the large arena - they are sharpening their wits to meet the challenge. while most are catching up with the news of the world - having been in training the event and therefore isolated for a large part of the last couple of months - the rest are going through detailed notes they've made for themselves.the mood was upbeat, expectant, a bit anxious but definitely competitive. they have, more or less, gotten their assigned spots on the podium in place, even as lubna yells, walk to the beat of the music girls! and now, the young women are gearing up to meet the judges and more importantly their questions. in fact, after spending the entire morning repeatedly walking up and down the many stairs of the elaborate dais and further fine-tuning their three sequences, the 26 potential miss indias are taking a two-hour break after lunch for a and a with lubna and her team. but, unlike fairy tales, beauty queens don't get to sleep off the afternoon. they head right back to the venue to do an elaborate technical and full-dress rehearsal that went on the witching hour! the contestants will appear tomorrow night in beautiful gowns their hair done just so, the make-up immaculate, demeanor tranquil and a smile on their faces that comes after many hours under the sun and, sometimes some sunburn!