Contestants of the Dabur Gulabari Sananda Tilottama 2007 preliminary round. Picture by Bishwarup Dutta

Eighteen years and below (2006): 5. Eighteen years and below (2007): 35-plus. The business of beauty has taken a youthful leap forward. The proof of the dipping age barrier — the Calcutta preliminary round of Dabur Gulabari Sananda Tilottama 2007 on Friday.

And with good reason. “Internationally, girls are independent and they start very young. In India, it has been a case of protective parents shielding them. Times are changing now, the girls themselves are super-confident and they want to make it big fast,” observed model and grooming expert Nayanika Chatterjee, one of the judges at The Park, where 84 aspirants were put through their paces.

Last year’s Tilottama winner Madhabilata Mitra, 25, couldn’t agree more. “Starting at age 17-18 definitely acts to your advantage. If Tilottama would have happened to me earlier, I would have been able to achieve much more by now... The young ones are the lucky ones.”

For 18-year-old Akansha Ojha, “participating was a must”, as she wants to “make it big in the industry”.

She has the full support of mother Tamanna Ojha, who was waiting patiently in the lobby for Friday’s verdict. “This is my daughter’s dream and as a mother it felt right to support her,” she explained.

Is that how most parents would feel?

Danseuse Sharmila Biswas and adman Souvik Misra, two of the judges, sure thought so. “Starting early is the stepping stone to success now, especially in the glamour industry, and when it is a clear career choice, why not?” they said.

Balancing books with their bid to be beauty queens is the difficult part. But not many who turned up to pursue their dreams on Friday seemed to be losing sleep over that.

Zara Nicole Subawalla, 16, is awaiting her ICSE results. Completing her studies is a must, but so is modelling. The girl from Dhanbad plans go for shoots during her summer vacations.