Kids contest  Talent, smartness and self-confidence are traits that need to be inculcated among all for success in today’s competitive world. Probably keeping this in mind The North East Beauty Forum conducted the finale of the Catmoss Smart Kid Contest 2008 at Rabindra Bhawan auditorium, Guwahati on December 7. Cheered by the audience, 35 kids, aged four to fourteen years, took to the stage to vie for nine titles and eight subtitles, following a six-day personality development workshop. They were groomed under Kaushik Ghosh of New Delhi who lent his valuable tips on stage presence, confidence, talent, catwalk and communication style. Forum president Medha Saikia said the event had been success thanks to workshop director Kaushik and event director Tamanna Choudhury, besides the participants, audience and sponsors. The judges were Anannya Baruah, Nabanita Sharma, Amar Barua, Pinju Pratik Barbora and Manoj Mathur, while the stage host was Avik Mazumdar. The tiny title winners in different age groups are Tanaya, Minakshi, Yash and Nitya (4-6) Priyakshi, Sanhita, Milan and Nakshatra (7-10) and Beninga in the 11 to 14 age group. Those who won subtitles are: Simran (Miss Talent), Kushal (Master Talent), Kannaki (Miss Catwalk), Mehul (Master Catwalk), Naina (Miss Personality), Bishal (Master Personality) and Urvashi and Zerin, both Miss Gorgeous.

Expo exploits  Trade fairs and expos have become almost a regular feature nowadays. Everyday we see or hear about such fairs taking place in different parts of the country. Moreover, the earlier enthusiasm the people, who usually plan to buy selected things at trade fairs only, had diminished to a great extent. As a result, the organizers have realized that they must put up some extra effort to attract the visitors, many of whom are impulsive buyers. Probably this very reason prompted the organizers —ART Group and Leo Advertising — to make the Second International Trade Expo 2008 being held at Jienking Ground, Nongthymmai, Shillong (December 5 to 16) attractive and adorable so that visitors throng the expo in large numbers thereby making the participants happy. This being a pre-Christmas time and Meghalaya a predominantly Christian state, the organizers have especially brought a nine-foot-tall lively Santa Claus who has attracted the attention of the young and old alike. Vietnam is participating for the first time in the trade event with their decorative items, photo frames, pearls and dress materials. Ajmal Group is also displaying its array of famed perfumes, ranging from Rs 500 to Rs 30,000, while the car majors Maruti, Honda, Hyundai and mobile handset biggie Nokia are showcasing their latest products in the expo that also has for the first time in the region in such events, an all-steel structure in the shape of a dome.

Simanta / Mridumoloy