P.C. Chandra Goldlites Diva contest, in association with t2, stopped at Gokhale Memorial College on December 6. Instead of the top 10, top 20 contestants were shortlisted. Tollywood actresses Chaiti Ghoshal and Rimjhim Mitra, the celebrity judge duo, had the tough task of selecting the top five from the 20 based on two rounds — western wear and ethnic wear. 

The top five candidates — Shamhita Mukherjee, Shreya Sharkar, Madhura Steffi Roy, Debjita Banerjee and Chandreyee Mukherjee had to go through a question-answer round from which the top three — Shamhita, Shreya and Madhura — were selected. After a talent round, all three participants were asked one question — “If you had five minutes to live, what would you do in those five minutes?”. On the basis of their answers, Shamhita was judged the winner, winning a gift voucher from P. C. Chandra worth Rs 5,000, the title of the “diva” of the college and a chance to represent her college in the finals. Shreya was the first runner-up, and Madhura the second runner-up, winning gift vouchers of Rs 2,000 and Rs 1,000 respectively.

The competition is getting really tough. All the girls are putting in a lot of hard work, which I really appreciate. It’s true that you create your first impression within the first seven seconds and that’s why we all must create a long-lasting impression 
— Rimjhim Mitra

This is my college. I feel as if I have come back to my college days, filled with energy, hopes and dreams. But one thing has changed. We never got such a platform in our days and just look at the difference! The generation today is so much more confident 
— Chaiti Ghoshal

Text: Astha Modi
Pictures: Sandipan Das

The hunt for the diva reached Vivekananda College on December 9. Eighteen girls put their best foot forward and presented themselves in style in front of a large audience for P. C. Chandra Goldlites Diva contest, held in association with t2. 

The participants walked the ramp in western wear and introduced themselves to the celebrity judge, Tollywood actor Shaheb Bhattacherjee. Next, they flaunted their traditional side dressed in ethnic wear. Based on their performances, Shaheb chose four girls to proceed to the next round. “I felt that these four girls had that zing that I was looking for,” said Shaheb.

The selected four — Mamata Karma, Papiya Bag, Vaishnavi Shaw and Tapu Halder —  had to wow the judge and audience in the instant talent round. While Mamata sang Naa jiya laage na (Anand), Papiya sang Galliyan (Ek Villain), Tapu sang Mujhe ishq se (Yaariyan) and Vaishnavi recited a sloka. 

All four advanced to the next round, where they had to answer one question — ‘As an ambassador of India what are the three things about the country that you would like to project to the world?’ Based on their answers, Vaishnavi Shaw was declared the winner. She won a gift voucher from P. C. Chandra worth Rs 5,000 and will represent her college in the finals. Papiya Bag was the first runner-up and Tapu was declared the second runner-up and received gift vouchers worth Rs 2,000 and Rs 1,000 respectively.

One needs to be different and do something out-of-the-box in order to make a mark for themselves. The girls of Vivekananda College were very confident about the way they carried themselves, which impressed me
— Shaheb Bhattacherjee

Text: Deborima Ganguly 
Pictures: Arnab Mondal