Apurba Das (centre) along with the first and second runners-up of the Nanhipari talent hunt. Telegraph picture

Bhubaneswar, Jan. 1: Attitude, style, compassion and, most importantly, talent was at its best as teenaged models set the stage on fire at the annual Nanhipari – Little Miss India talent pageant that came to a close on Sunday.

Young girls from all over the country took part in the 11th edition of the talent hunt. Odisha girl Apurba Das bagged the title of ‘Nanhipari’ for 2012.

“I am excited and happy to have won the title. I had worked hard on my ramp skills and personality,” said 13-year-old Apurba.

The selections for the pageant begin with a shortlisting of applicants on basis of their talents and presentation of application.

This year out of the applications from 10 states, 15 girls from eight states were chosen for the semi-final round. The three-day event from semi-finals to finals was hosted at the KIIT International School.

Activities involving arts and crafts as well as performances like music and dance were organised everyday. The best performers gained points winning them titles.

The participants were groomed and also given personality development training. Then there were sessions by resource persons to fine-tune their talents.

“The event aims at developing confidence and an interest to pursue skills and develop the personality of young girls,” said Malaya Mohapatra, organiser of the event.

The 15 semi-finalists, who were from Bihar, Assam, Manipur, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Odisha, claimed different titles such as Little Miss hairstyle, beautiful skin, nightingale, whizkid and so on.

“The experience was enriching and I loved every moment of the preparations. Taking part in the event will help me be more confident at interviews or group discussions in future,” said Samiksha Satpathy, who grabbed the Little Miss Whizkid title.

Sushrita Devi from Manipur, who won the Little Miss Photogenic title, was delighted to be a part of the pageant.

“I want to be a successful model when I grow up. Learning various nuances of carrying yourself on the ramp and also making friends from all over the country was the best part of the event. I am also thrilled to have won the ‘photogenic’ title,” she said.

The winner Apurba, the first runner-up Anusuya Gogoi (Assam) and second runner-up Diyanshi Singh (Uttar Pradesh) were presented with the awards by last year’s crown winner Akankhsya Kabi. Apurba was presented one lakh cash award along with other gifts.