-schedule includes auditioning for movies, pushing local tourism
REIGNING Miss India Worldwide, Guyanese Alana Seebarran, has a busy year ahead of her, what with guest appearances at a number of international events, movie auditions, and rooting for charities of her choosing. According to National Director of the Miss India Guyana Worldwide Pageant, Chandini Ramnarain, the 24-year-old beauty, who took the title from a field of 35 in neighbouring Suriname on the evening of February 25, will be making various appearances both locally and internationally, and is particularly looking forward to her sojourn to India where she will be a guest on television.
Ramnarain, who is also franchise holder of the Miss India Guyana Pageant, and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Apsara Entertainment, said her organisation is currently in the process of finalising corporate sponsorship locally, regionally and internationally to promote the Miss India Worldwide pageant, but that in spite of her tight schedule, Alana is still expected to make time for her charitable work.
“We are even looking at charitable work internationally,” Ramnarain said, adding that Alana is yet to decide on which charity she wants to be associated with, outside of paying regular visits to the various hospitals and orphanages here.
They also have in mind doing something to help promote local tourism such as showcasing the country’s cultural diversity, as well as having Alana become involved in youth-related issues, whether as a role model or motivational speaker.
On the subject of Alana’s phenomenal success, where she not only brought home the coveted crown but the ‘Best Talent’ title as well, Ramnarain said she cannot help but being elated, given her reticence at first to have anything to do with the pageant when  approached by the India Festival Committee (IFC).
“I did, and I must say after three years, this is the outcome,” she said at a recent press briefing, adding: “I also want to say that I took the responsibility of heading this pageant so that the girls in Guyana, who have what it takes, should enter and not withhold, as what was happening in Guyana before.”
Ramnarain said for the past three years, all the delegates that represented the country at this particular pageant were properly trained, and represented the country well, since Guyana was noticed from the very first year with Padmini Rambalak, Miss India Guyana 2009, who copped the ‘Miss Healthy Hair’ award, followed by Miss India Guyana 2011, Roshini Boodhoo, was named ‘Miss Congeniality’.
“Every year, our experience has grown, and our hard work has finally paid off,” she said before declaring: “I must say today I am very, very happy and proud that we can bring home the first crown to Guyana.” At this year’s pageant, Guyana also won the ‘Best National Director of the Year’ award.
According to Ramnarain, the Miss India Worldwide pageant is produced by the IFC and is the brainchild of one Dharmatma Saran, an Indian national residing in the United States. It is a forum through which young women of Indian background can have the opportunity to demonstrate or showcase their concept of Indian culture, values and influence, as well as providing a common platform for the international Indian community through pageantry.
Among local sponsors this year were Lux Entertainment; New GPC, which backed the queen; Digicom, and Seebarran’s parents.
Seebarran, who was chaperoned by Padmini Rambalak, now one of the creative directors of Apsara Entertainment, was among 35 contestants in the pageant and after remaining in the five finalists, she won the most points in the question-and-answer round. The first and second runners-up spots went to Kuwait and Australia, respectively.
A former student of Mae’s Primary and School of the Nations, Seebarran is at present pursuing a degree in Marketing at York University, in Toronto, Canada.