Before winning the contest I was a normal 20-year-old. Now I feel I have suddenly grown up, I feel almost seven years older!" says Pond's Femina Miss India-World 2004, Sayali Bhagat.

Living The Dream

All that hectic lifestyle has been a great learning experience, she says, as she prepares herself for the Miss World Contest in China on December 4. What also matters is the guidance from the various experts that she has received. Sayali is grateful for hair expert Nirmala Shetty's advice on good hair care and to Dr Sandesh Mayekar for her perfect smile. Samantha Kochchar has given Sayali valuable tips on make-up and hairstyling, while Dr Jamuna Pai has taught her ways to care for her skin. The seminars and sessions for speech and personality with Sabira Merchant have added volumes to her confidence. "I am now confident that I can face an intelligent crowd and emerge victorious," she says, amidst photo shoots and fittings for her Satya Paul swimming costume and evening gown for the Miss World contest. Ritu Kumar has done her Indian formals while her Western casuals have been done by Ranna Gill and her business suits have been designed by Mandira Virk . She'll walk the ramp with shoes provided by Finesse and accessorise her outfits with evening bags from Kalyani Chawla. Of course, she'll look stunning in everything she wears, thanks to the great fitness workouts with Mickey Mehta.

With barely any time to go for the contest, Sayali says she feels "surprisingly very calm" and is quite positive about winning. Perhaps it comes from her strong will and her level-headedness or working with Dr Prakash Amte's wildlife orphanage in Mumbai before she participated in the Femina Miss India contest. And of course, tips from Miss World Diana Hayden and Miss Universe Lara Dutta have also helped her. She is upbeat about the fact that this year the top 10 girls at the contest will be chosen also on the basis of Internet voting through www.missworld.tv