Meher Pavri of Ontario was crowned Miss India-Canada 2007 after she defeated 15 contestants vying for the crown.

Parvi, a student of music at the University of Western Ontario, made her way to the finals along with Uppekha Jain, Eva Khondaker, Sunpreet Bains and Poonam Sandhu.

Eva Khondaker was judged the first runner-up, and Sunpreet Bains the second runner-up.

Chandhana Raju of Saint-Hubert, Quebec, won the “Miss Congeniality” award and Sunpreet Bains of White Rock, British Columbia won “Miss Photogenic” during the recent 17th annual event that was organised by Canada-India Beauty Quest.

Sunpreet Bains, 21, from Vancouver, was crowned Miss British Columbia in 2004.

“So the next logical step for me is Miss India-Canada Beauty Pageant,” Bains says. “Feminist movements are making sure we are moving away from the pageant aspect of it as many people believe it is a way of degrading women. The way to go is Miss India-Canada Pageant, which is organized very tastefully for women to showcase themselves, their talents.”

Bains explains how her parents have instilled in her great educational values. She will finish her degree in a health-related field, and is already looking forward to going to medical school.

She favours a universal education and that’s what she will shout from the rooftops if she’s lucky enough to get the crown.

“The idea of universal education is so deeply ingrained in my heart, I want to make sure that post-secondary students, even elementary school students, know how important it is for them to expand their knowledge, expand their minds and be able to take themselves to the highest peak so that they are able to fulfill great careers.”

“Good then if I am discovered by the Bollywood, I am definitely open and my plans of going to the medical school next year would then change,” Bains says. “I would definitely be up for this challenge, for an adventure, I am going to continue my studies.” Bollywood actor, Aftab Sivadasani, who was the chief guest of the event, was presented the “Special Achievement Award” for his significant contribution to Indian cinema.

“It’s a platform that displays cultural excellence and talents of Indo-Canadian young women and that’s the only reason we have succeeded all these years,” organizer Sanjay Agnihotri, 29, says of the pageant, now in its 17th year.

Sanjay’s father, Kush, who founded the pageant, died of a cardiac arrest a few months ago.

The 16 finalists--two from B.C., one from Alberta, one from Quebec and 12 from Ontario were chosen from 60 applicants through preliminaries in four Canadian cities.

Crowned Miss India-Canada in 1993, Ruby Bhatia has become a household name in India as a television news anchor and for her roles in the film industry. Other winners who have similarly earned fame include Kamal Sidhu, Gita Bali, and Rishma Malik.

Liberal MP Ruby Dhalla also tried her luck at the beauty pageant a few years back.