Initiated by Indiatimes.com in association with Asmi diamonds and Indian Television Academy (ITA), the Indiatimes Asmi Woman 2003 event took off to a flying start at the JW Marriot, Mumbai, on March 8, 2003.

The idea behind the award was to honour the spirit of womanhood by felicitating women of substance. The promotion was hence timed to coincide with the celebration of International Women's Day on March 8.

The nominees for the Indiatimes Asmi Woman 2003 were women who have achieved unparalleled success in their respective fields. The four winners finally were actress par excellence Raveena Tandon, New Age spiritual teacher and healer Rhea Pillai, Grammy Award nominee Anoushka Shankar and internationally acclaimed fashion designer Ritu Beri, who were announced as the Indiatimes Asmi Women 2003.

Anu Ranjan, President, ITA asserts: "One of the most ardent pursuits of the ITA pertains to women and their significance in society. That is why we joined hands with Asmi to confer honour and recognition on four women achievers of the year."

Surfers of Indiatimes were also asked to vote for the woman whose profile they think matches the Asmi Woman. Indiatimes had hosted an exclusive micro-site http://asmi.indiatimes.com where users could go through the profiles and vote for the Indiatimes Asmi Woman 2003. The micro-site also hosted others contests which had exciting prizes to be won.

The function held at the Marriot had amongst other celebrities Kareena Kapoor, Shatrughan Sinha and JP Dutta. There was a dance performance that enthralled the audience and after the felicitation ceremony there was a bash.

More Pictures – Photogallery Lifestyle