The Indian Princess 2015 saw the World Grand Finale take place in Bangkok recently, and received more than just a taste of a traditional warm Thai welcome

Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul (in green), minister of tourism and sportS, crowning the winner.

Beauty pageants – love them or not — are here to stay. Pros and cons aside, Thailand is a country so enamored of beauty pageants that it welcomes not only its own beauty contests but also those from other countries, with open arms in fact. One recent example is the recently concluded Indian Princess contests, which is the latest beauty pageant from overseas to be held in the kingdom.

Conceptualized by Shri Sunil Rane, and backed by the Atharva Group, The Indian Princess was organized “to honor the gallant soldiers who laid down their lives for India along with a social cause for synchronized education for girls in the remote and rural areas of India.”

“Indian Princess is dedicated to the cause of supporting families of our soldiers,” says Rane, who is also the twin-pageant’s chairman.

The beauties received a warm welcome from Centara Grand Mirage Beach Resort, Pattaya

Since its inception, the beauty extravaganza has been providing a platform for many young Indian women to showcase their beauty and talents at an international level. Winners represent India at various global beauty pageants.
More importantly perhaps, the training and development that each candidate receives, from the audition time to the grand finale, stays with them all their lives and helps them become worthy citizens not only of India, but of the whole world.

“In many ways, the pageant also reflects the changing aspirations of a new India, where women are confident in their careers and dreams,” says Ramon Lamba, CEO of Indian Princess. “Even after the Word Grand Finale, the contestants’ presence and personalities will continue to make a difference.”

The pageant was last held in Thailand in March 2013, with the organizers getting big support from the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). The wonderful support and cooperation that the Indian Princess organizers received was among the main reasons for the pageant’s return to Thailand this year.

“Thailand is renowned for its hospitality, tourism, aesthetic temples, and arts and crafts,” says Rane. “It is also famous for its silk and a mosaic of diffferent dialects and languages. With so much cultural resemblance between our two countries, we decided to give the Indian Princess 2015 a feel of the Thai tradition. We blended Indian fashion with Thai fashion and organized a fashion carnival with the combined effort of designers and contestants.”

The Indian Princess journey this year started May 7, when all the contestants reported in Mumbai. The contestants underwent training and grooming activities from May 8 to 15 at the Blue Ocean Resort & Spa, before flying to Thailand where they continued their training and participating in all aspects of the competition. The World Grand Finale was held on May 24 at the Rangsit University Music Hall in Pathum Thani, Bangkok.

During their entire stay in Thailand, the Indian Princess entourage received a warm welcome wherever they went, and received lots of support from the TAT, as well as from the other major sponsor, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports.

“In line with our wish to promote Thailand as a preferred destination for film, fashion, and weddings, we are more than delighted to be part of this year’s Indian Princess beauty pageant,” says Satish Sehgal, president of the India-Thai Business Association.

“It is indeed a distinct honor to be able to showcase the best of Thailand to the Indian Princess delegates and contestants at this world-class tour, and be part of their activities here. It was a truly memorable event for this beauty pageant with a cause that reflects the long-standing friendship between our two countries and our people.”