A Canadian vies for a unique crown in India

NEW DELHI, INDIA — With enviable cheekbones and charcoal eyes, Arshdeep Kaur Gosal appears a natural beauty queen contender. Yet it is the way she chops spinach in the kitchen that matters more than a strut on the catwalk for the crown she covets.
Arshdeep is among the 17 finalists from across the globe competing to be Miss World Panjaban, an unapologetically conservative beauty pageant of Punjabi culture and rituals being held in Ludhiana, India.
There are no swimsuits nor stilettos and at times no shoes at all. Instead contenders are judged on things such as folk dancing, housework and general knowledge about heritage. They churn buttermilk and sift grain.
"It is to promote Punjabi culture," says Arshdeep, an 18-year old nursing student from Brampton, Ont., "If our generation doesn't know our roots then our culture suffers, especially for those of us born in Canada."
Arshdeep, who is the current Miss Canada-Panjaban, is the only Canadian competing for the title. She is fluent in Punjabi but has visited India only twice and admits she is better acquainted with jeans than saris.
So she spent one week "training" at her mother's home village in Punjab state on how to best wield that spinach knife and to learn the difference between methi and sarson leaves used for cooking. What makes Arshdeep a bit nervous about the finals on Saturday is the "bridal round" where contestants dress and play the part.

"I studied and talked to older people in my family to get some help with that," she says with a light laugh.
The man behind the contest is Jasmer Singh Dhatt, a retired Punjab police officer who was appalled by the revealing clothes that define many beauty pageants. "I thought of starting a show where parents wouldn't feel sad," he told India's Eye Magazine, "I wanted a beauty contest without the catwalk." This is the 11th Miss World Panjaban, which is held bi-annually, and there are now regional versions among the Punjabi diaspora. Most of the finalists this year are from India, though the group also includes contenders from Italy, Spain, and the United States. Beauty is a part of the pageant by way of quizzing contestants for secrets for soft skin. The special award for the longest hair is determined more scientifically with a tape measure.

As for the prize haul, it might not seem surprising that the spoils of a socially conservative pageant include traditional touches such as a gold ornament and a shawl. But a big draw is the chance at a "leading" role in a Punjabi film.
"I'm not planning to quit school if I win," Arshdeep says with a chuckle, "But maybe it would depend on the movie."