South end beauty off to South Africa

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This article was published 25/03/2010 (5981 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Amin Dhillon will be carrying a little piece of home with her when she vies for the title of Miss India in Durban, South Africa later this week.

The Southdale resident, who is the reigning Miss India Canada, will be promoting Folklorama as her official charity during the March 27 competition.

Dhillon has worked with a number of charities in the past, but the annual mul­ti­cultural festival remains close to her heart.

“I have always been a big fan of Folklorama and I chose it to help raise its profile and work with their youth ambassadors,” she said.

Representatives of more than 30 countries will take part in this year’s Miss India competition. Contestants must be of Indian origin, between the ages 17 and 27, single and have been born or reside in the country they are representing.

More than 5,000 people are expected to attend the contest, which will also be broadcast to an international television audience.
The competition unofficially began for Dhillon and her counterparts on March 21, when they visited a number of local hospitals in Durban.

Contestants will be graded in four categories when the official competition begins March 27: evening gown, Indian dress, talent and a question-and-answer session.

Dhillon will be performing a bollywood-fusion dance routine during her portion of the talent competition.

“I’ll be showcasing many elements of Indian dance in an interesting and new way,” she said, adding she hired a dance choreographer to help her with her routine.

Two previous Miss India Canada winners have gone on to claim the international Miss India crown — Poonam Chibber in 1997 and Melissa Bhagat in 1998.

Dhillon, who graduated from the University of Manitoba with a bachelor’s degree in marketing and human resource management, first became aware of the pageant when she saw the Miss India competition on television.

Regardless of the outcome in South Africa, Dhillon has already enjoyed considerable success. She was recently named as one of the 16 most promising Indian youth by Indian Today magazine.

rob.brown@canstarnews.com