South's beauty queens

doweshowbellyad=0; Parvathy (TOI Photo) More picsTrue beauty might be made in heaven, but the quest and celebration of that beauty surely takes place here on earth.
The affirmation of the same was undeniable as Hyderabad witnessed the grand finale of the first ever, prestigious beauty contest of the year, the ‘Pantaloons Femina Miss India South 2008’. At a star-studded ceremony at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre, amidst bated breath and throbbing hearts, Parvathy Omanakuttam was crowned the winner of the PFMIS 2008.She will get a direct entry in the top 10 finalists of the PFMI 2008. The first runner-up Shreya Dhanwanthary and the second runner-up Kavya Barli too will get a direct entry into the finale to be held later in Mumbai.
Hailing from Kottayam in ‘God’s own country’, Parvathy is indeed a stunner. She is the proverbial beauty with brains.
A literature graduate, she grew up in Mumbai and will be a strong contender for the coveted crown in Mumbai. She says, “The experience was fantastic and I’ve learned a lot. At the next stage (PFMI 2008), I have a direct entry, but I will have to work harder.” Shreya spells versatility, an electrical engineering student from Warangal, she is a dance lover, trained in Bharatnatyam, Kathak, Jive and Salsa. She is also a trained Carnatic singer! The girl without any prior modelling experience shares, “It came as a pleasant surprise. In fact, I had a bet with my friends who said I could make it!” Again, for the 20-year old Hyderabadi, Kavya Barli, life will never be the same again. The B Com student, with a fresh face is a perfectionist at heart. She is also a dance instructor and idolises Sushmita Sen and Lara Dutta.
“I feel proud that I will represent Hyderabad as one of the finalists at PFMI. I want to win the crown and do the country proud,”she says.
This was the first time ever that the PFMI South pageant has been held, and the finale showcased the 16 lovely finalists who had put in tremendous effort over the last one month to get to this truly marvellous platform.
The ravishing Sindhura Gadde, Femina Miss India World 2005, and Aseem Sharma were the comperes of the evening, which also saw some fabulous performances choreographed by Krishna Reddy. The extravagant contestant choreography was done by none other than Hemant Trivedi, the official choreographer and contestant director for PFMIS 2008, who was assisted by Radhika Rao, the official assistant choreographer for PFMIS 2008.
The illustrious panel of judges comprised of designer Deepika Govind, supermodel Nethra Raghuraman, cinematographer Teja, actress Ramya Krishnan, renowned director Mani Shankar, the multifaceted Pinky Reddy and businessman Sanjiv Gupta.
It is not often that a state of inebriation owes nothing to Dionysus and the magic liquid? This evening, however, the inebriation among the massive turnout was absolute, but the doing was all in Aphrodite’s domain.