Model and Tilottama 2006 Madhabilata Mitra at the launch of Dabur Gulabari Sananda Tilottama in Jamshedpur on Friday. Picture by Bhola Prasad

Jamshedpur, June 4: Always dreamt of scorching the ramp in designer ensembles? Here’s your golden chance.

Into its 14th glorious year, Dabur Gulabari Sananda Tilottama — billed the biggest beauty pageant in eastern India — is coming to the steel city this July.

Calcutta-based model and Tilottama 2006 Madhabilata Mitra formally launched the talent hunt at Hotel Ginger here today. Applications have, however, been pouring over the past week. Some 300 wannabe models are already on the rolls for the prelims and the number is only expected to swell with the last date of submitting forms being June 17.

Besides Jamshedpur, prelims of Dabur Gulabari Sananda Tilottama 2010 will also be held in Calcutta, Guwahati and Bhubaneswar. Shortlisted candidates will participate in the finals scheduled in Calcutta in August. Before being put to test by the who’s who from the world of haute couture, the lucky finalists will undergo a month-long grooming session, conducted by supermodel and fashion choreographer Nayanika Chatterjee. The event’s fitness partner VLCC will chalk out daily workout, diet, ramp choreography, diction and etiquette routine.

“Tilottama not just instils confidence and discipline, it gives our lives almost a fairytale twist. The grooming session makes a huge difference if one is seriously considering modelling as a career,” said Madhabilata who has worked with fashion icons such as Manish Malhotra, Rohit Bal, Kiran Uttam Ghosh and Sabyasachi Mukherjee ever since her Tilottama debut.

Judges for the preliminary round in Jamshedpur will be from among local luminaries while the final rounds may see celebrities such as Shobha De, Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Vandana Luthra, Meher Jesia Rampal, Raghu Rai and Sam Balsara who have been on the Sananda Tilottama panel in the past.

Since its inception 14 years ago, Sananda Tilottama has been on a quest to discover talent in the East. It established itself as a major platform for prospective supermodels, Miss Indias like Celina Jaitley and Bollywood sirens like Bipasha Basu and Koena Mitra. “Glamour had always attracted me, but I had never thought of modelling as a profession till Tilottama happened to me. It helped me discover the fire within and today I have a successful career in Tollywood,” smiled Madhabilata.

Wedded to its mission of empowering women, Sananda, also a constant companion to its readers, has repeatedly reinvented its Tilottamas amongst modern Indian woman.

So, are you the next?