Jyoti Brahmin arrives for the felicitation ceremony at Gurungnagar in Siliguri on Sunday. A Telegraph picture

Siliguri, July 11: The first true beauty queen from the hills stole a thousand hearts in Siliguri today.

Miss India Earth, Jyoti Brahmin, was given a warm welcome by residents of the town on her first visit after winning the crown.

A large crowd stood outside as Jyoti stepped out of her black Qualis and waved to school children in Gurungnagar, where she had come to receive a felicitation from the local Bhanu Bhakta Samity.

Clad in a polka-dot sari with her auburn tresses blowing in the wind, Jyoti’s dazzling smile floored admirers who had waited in the rain for hours to catch a glimpse of their idol.

Taking time to pose with teeny boppers who wanted a photograph with her, Jyoti thanked her daju and bahinharu (brothers and sisters) in the region who helped her “reach the place I am in today”.

“I feel blessed that I belong to Darjeeling and hail from a family which is respected all over the hills. I am very grateful to my family, especially my grandparents, whose blessings put me in such a position today,” said the 22-year-old damsel from Darjeeling at her felicitation speech.

Brahmin, who had studied at Loreto Convent, Darjeeling and Lincoln’s School in Siliguri, said north Bengal would always be the place she calls home.

The beauty queen, who already has a number of Bollywood offers, however, had a word of advice for youngsters looking to make it to the top of the glamour business.

“I want to convey a message to anyone who wants to join the glamour world — never think this is an easy job that is all about having fun and dressing up. It is an extremely demanding profession where an aspirant has to depend on hard work and gruelling travel schedules. This can take a toll on both physical and mental health if one is not careful,” said Jyoti.

Refusing to disclose the banners for which she will soon be working, Jyoti claimed she was not planning to join the “dare to bare” bandwagon in Bollywood. The Angelina Jolie fan is looking for cerebral roles and powerful scripts instead.

“I do not want to disclose the names of the banners as nothing has been finalised as of now. There are many offers, but I have decided not to use a skin fest as my launch pad to a film career. I come from a cultured family and do not want to work in films that I will not feel comfortable watching with my family members. I want something more intelligent,’ said Jyoti.

The Darjeeling beauty is now concentrating on making a mark at the Miss Earth contest to be held in Manila, Philippines, in October. “After that, I will have to take a concrete decision about what I will do with my life,” she signed off.