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Neelam Verma is Miss India-Canada

Neelam Verma, 23, was crowned Miss India-Canada 2001 by actress Zeenat Aman at a glittering beauty pageant held on Saturday night at the International Plaza Hotel near Toronto's international airport.

Pooja Narang (BC) was first runner-up and Dimple Sharma (Quebec) second runner-up.

Zeenat Aman had specially flown to Toronto to be the chief guest at the beauty pageant attended by around 700 people.

"I feel extremely excited having won this title," Verma told rediff.com.

Neelam has a business degree from Toronto's York University and was working with an investment firm as a strategic marketer. She quit her job to travel the world for one year.

Now Verma is all set to travel to Bombay to rub shoulders with Bollywood stars and possibly follow in the foot steps of her predecessors like Ruby Bhatia, Komal Sahni and Gita Bali, who, like her, won the title of Miss India-Canada and then made it in the world of films and television.

"I would keep my options open and see where luck takes me," Verma said.

There were a total of 16 semi-finalists. After the Indian dress and talent competitions, five contestants were selected for the final round.

They were Pooja Narang (Barrie, Ontario), Harjot Parmar of (Surrey , British Columbia), Deepa Sarao (Brampton, Ontario), Dimple Sharma (Pierrefonds, Quebec) and Neelam Verma.

Sangeeta Kumar, 18, of suburban Scarborough, near Toronto was crowned Miss Congeniality and Dimple Sharma won the Miss Photogenic contest.

When asked what she would like to achieve through the Miss India-Canada title, Verma said "I hope to be able to pursue one of my passions and that is to be able to get a high profile position on the global level, one that we are lacking now."

"I am hoping to get some experience and represent India before the rest of the world," she said.

After the pageant, Aman said she was impressed with the participants. Although raised in Canada, they were still close to their Indian heritage and Aman found that 'very inspiring'.

Zeenath Aman was presented with a special achievement award - a plaque - by Kush Agnihotri, founder and president of the Miss India-Canada Beauty Pageant, now in its 11th year.

"Indian women are the most beautiful in the world. They have been acknowledged in the world as such. They are attractive, bright and very talented. It is a wonderful platform," Aman said after receiving the award.

"The pageant aims at presenting a stage to contestants who are part of mainstream Canadian culture, yet manage to retain part of their ethnic and Indian ethos," said Agnihotri in his introductory remarks.

Verma will now participate in the Miss India-World contest to be held by the end of this year in the United States.

Sanjeev Choudhury, policy adviser on India to Canadian Minister for foreign Affairs John Manley was among the guests at the pageant.

The event was sponsored by among others Canada 3000 Airlines that will launch its direct flights (five per week) to India in October, Worldwide Immigration Consultancy Services (WICS) that has offices in 32 Indian cities and Air India.

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