– ROLLING MEADOWS, Ill.
Glamour, fashion and entertainment were all present in good measure at the Miss India Teen and Miss India Illinois 2012 beauty pageant hosted April 14 by Vogue Celebrations and B4U at the Meadows Club.

Seventeen young women took the stage in a bid to win the coveted crowns. In the end, Simi Bharaj was crowned Miss India Teen Illinois 2012 by Neeti Gupta, co-founder of Vogue Celebrations, and Nishma Patel was crowned Miss India Illinois by Anu Sikri, co-founder of Vogue Celebrations.

The evening began when the contestants took the stage clad in spectacular evening gowns.

 Other rounds included the Indian dress segment and a talent show.

The pageant also included an entertainment program featuring music by Shariq Sidz, a local artist who just finished filming his first music video, and dances by students from Bollywood Rhythms and Indian Dance School.

Shades of red, green and pink shimmered on the stage as the contestants sashayed down the ramp in saris and lehengas during the Indian dress segment.

 Some of the outfits were provided by Borrow It Bindaas, an online luxury clothing boutique. Bharaj’s outfit was from Studio Elite, a contemporary Indo-Western fusion wear boutique. 

After the evening gown and Indian dress segments, the top five contestants for both titles competed in the talent and question segments.

The top five Miss India Teen Illinois contestants were Komal Sharma, Ashika Sachdev, Simi Bharaj, Megha Mathur and Maya Patel; the top five for the Miss India Illinois title were Chandi Chadha, Sona Chadha, Nishma Patel, Sonal Champaneri and Nisha Patel.

In the talent show, pageant contestants showed off their music and dance skills. Simi Bharaj played the national anthem on a guitar and recited the Guru Brahma shloka; Nishma Patel danced to Bollywood songs “Sheila Ki Jawaani” and “Chikni Chameli;” Ashika Sachdev sang “At Last;” Megha Mathur presented a fusion dance to “My Heart Will Go On” from “Titanic;” Shruti Thakkar danced to a medley of “Barso Re,” “Nimbooda Nimbooda” and “Dola Re Dola;” Chandi Chadha danced to “Munni Badnaam Hui;” Nikita Khara performed “Beat Of Passion;” and Nisha Patel danced to “Maa Tujhe Salaam.”

The six judges for the evening were Sunil Shah, founder president of Federation of Indian Associations Chicago; Nikita Katial, founder of Utsva USA; Monika Bhondy, style editor for Anokhi magazine; Dr. Harjinder Khaira, well-known dentist; Bidisha Sinha, Miss Tri-State 2004; and Disha Patel, Miss India USA second runner-up 2009.

Other contestants who were recognized were Shruti Thakkar, Miss Congeniality; Nikita Khara, Miss Best Smile; Ashika Sachdev,  second runner-up, Miss India Teen Illinois 2012;  Megha Mathur, first runner-up, Miss India Teen Illinois 2012; Nisha Patel, second runner-up, Miss India Illinois 2012; and Chandi Chadha, first runner-up, Miss India Illinois 2012.
The evening concluded with a vote of thanks presented by Neeti Gupta.

 All contestants received designer gifts from  Aniika.com, photo portraits from Atika Studios, makeup accessories from Sonia Sandhu, six months of dental cleaning from Dr. Harjinder Khaira and portraits from Modi Creations.