STRIKE A POSE: A participant walks the ramp at the Dabur Gulabari Sananda Tilottama 2010 mega prelims at Swissotel. Picture by Pabitra Das

Shreya Mazumder had a tough choice to make last Tuesday morning — sit for an Elective English exam in college or walk the ramp for the prelims of the biggest beauty pageant in this part of the world. The student of political science at Asutosh College decided to follow her heart.

“I had to choose one. My mother protested, but I made her understand that I won’t be able to give my 100 per cent in the exams…. I felt beautiful. With all the cameras clicking me, I felt like a star,” giggled the girl, after making it to the city’s shortlisted 30 for the Dabur Gulabari Sananda Tilottama 2010.

More and more girls in town, like Shreya, are chasing the spotlight and eyeing Tilottama as their stairway to starry dreams. That explains the rush to reach the Princeton Club ramp for the prelims. If last year saw 4,000 applications, the figure rose by “almost 15 per cent” this year.

Shreya summed up just why, even though she missed out on a slot in the top 10. “I want to be a part of the glamour industry. I want fame, name and money,” she declared.

Actress Soumili Biswas decoded the determination of Shreya and gang. “Sananda Tilottama is a big platform. It has given birth to a lot of stars. Plus the month-long grooming is very important. It teaches the girls a lot of things. Many treat this as a road to acting and are attracted by the glamour,” she said, from a judge’s chair.

The famous Tilottama faces Soumili referred to range from Bipasha Basu to Koena Mitra, Celina Jaitley to Arpita (Paul), Resshmi Ghosh to Nicollete Bird, Dimpy Ganguly Mahajan to Ushoshi Sengupta.

And the month-long grooming programme steered by Nayanika Chatterjee covers skincare and workouts, beauty and make-up, diction and diet, dance and ramp walk.

Number of aspirants apart, the quality count is rising year on year. Dermatologist and t2 columnist Sachin Varma liked what he saw during a workshop with the girls on Sunday morning. “Every year it has been improving. What is most striking about this batch is their communication skill. These girls are here for a purpose.”

Beautician Priscilla Corner, the other expert at the workshop, added: “They had poise mixed with approachability that makes them confident and not arrogant.”

That is over and above the basics, which too have been steadily improving. “The contestants now know how to walk the ramp, the right camera angles and how to pose correctly. Yes, they need some grooming, but more or less they are well-equipped,” said designer Nil.

“This shows the increase in awareness about the profession. They are becoming serious about this career option,” added his design partner Dev.

Dev and Nil judged the mega prelims on Thursday at Swissotel along with actress Aparajita Ghosh Das. “We had a tough time selecting 10 girls. Each of the girls had their own take on style. Calcutta is changing a lot, there is lot more awareness,” said Aparajita.

And it’s showing.