THE official sashing ceremony for the 26 finalists who are vying for the coveted titles of Miss/ Mrs. / Teen/ Mr. India Worldwide Guyana 2023, will be held on Sunday afternoon at the Ramada Georgetown Princess Hotel.

Set to take place in the hotel’s Roraima Ballroom, the programme will get underway at 15:00 hours with an “impressive lineup of talents [and] beauties,” who are on their way to becoming the next Miss, Mrs. Mr. and Teen India Guyana.

The winners will represent Guyana at the international leg of the various pageants which will be held in India this June, according to franchise owners, Hashim Alli and his wife Melicia.

Melicia, the Vice-President, is excited about this year’s event, especially as the participants are coming without any national pageant experience.

“This class is very special to the organisation as they’re all newcomers to the pageant industry…this for us is the best part to provide the ultimate growth experience for each of them,” she expressed.

From the impressive pool of 11 Guyanese women, one will become Miss India Guyana, succeeding 2021 winner Maya Persaud. The new queen will have the task of following in the footsteps of Persaud who was the third Guyanese to place in the top five at the international leg of the pageant which was held last year in New Jersey.

Another will be Melessa Seupaul’s successor who will have the task of representing Guyana in the ‘Mrs.’ category.

Meanwhile, one beautiful Guyanese teen will have an opportunity to wear the Miss Teen India Guyana crown and repeat Roshani Razack’s success at the international leg of the pageant. Razack was crowned queen in 2022.

In the ‘Miss’ category, Anjalie Sukhdeo, Anjalita Somwaru, Aruna Sukhdeo, Devina Persaud, Julia Williams, Latchmie Vanesha Kawall, Leah Alves, Mamta Singh, Neshilla Baksh, Rose Jacobs, and Zara Homed, will compete for the title.

Cindy Singh, Rabina Shivraj, Reanna Arakhan, and Zabieeda Razack, will be competing in the ‘Mrs.’ category, while Kaya Alli, Marcia Seepersaud, Netu Lal, and Savita Ramcharitar are the delegates in the ‘Teen’ category.

Those vying for the title of ‘Mr.’ are Anthony Singh, Bhim Ramkissoon, Daniel Roopchand, Haresh Nandall, Joel Dudhnath, Karan Persaud, and Ken Sahadeo.

“This year’s national pageant will surely be a kaleidoscope of talents, charms, poises and intelligences as some of Guyana’s best will be on show,” Melicia told the Buzz.

The finalists in each category will compete in the Talent, Evening Gown, Ethnic Wear and Intelligence segments.

Hashim and Melicia took over the pageant franchise in 2018, in keeping with their intense love and passion for the field.

The international franchise, Miss India Worldwide, works under the Indian Festival Committee (IFC) of New York, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year.

The IFC was founded by Mr. Dharmatma Saran and Mrs. Neelam Saran, who are said to be pioneers in organising Indian pageants and fashion shows in the USA and other parts of the world.

Tickets for Sunday’s event are going for $7,000 which includes a snack platter and tea.