Agencies

WARSAW, Oct 1: Contestants from 104 countries and territories will vie on Saturday in Warsaw for the crown of Miss World, after being put through their paces for the past month at venues across Poland.
 
The contestants have travelled the length and breadth of Poland since arriving at the beginning of September, and have been asked to try their hand at a number of activities, some not usually associated with beauty pageants.
 
They have not only sung and danced – fairly run-of-the-mill pastimes for aspiring Misses -- but also attended university conferences where they learned about quantum physicist Max Born, and accompanied Polish police officers on a tour of duty to inspect bus engines.
 
The final of what claims to be the biggest beauty pageant on the planet will be broadcast live to nearly 200 countries from Warsaw's imposing Palace of Culture -- a "gift" to Poland in the 1950s from Soviet leader Joseph Stalin.
 
During the gala evening, the 104 contestants will model everything from evening dress to swim suits, perform choreographed dance routines and submit to the usual question and answer session.

The field will be whittled down to 16 finalists, one of whom will eventually step into the shoes of Unnur Birna Vilhjalmsdottir of Iceland, last year's winner.
 
The two billion television viewers the organisers expect to tune in to the competition will be able to vote for their choice for the title by sending a mobile telephone text message. Their vote will be combined with the decision of a jury to eventually crown Miss World 2006.

Miss India Natasha Suri probably will have a sleepless night when she goes to bed -- she has to live up to the expectations of millions of supporters in her effort to win the coveted title.
 
She is one of the top five favourites at Saturday's event.
 
The cameras will be focused on 106 participants, with Miss Venezuela still occupying the top slot with bookmakers and Natasha breathing down her neck.
 
The 22-year-old dusky beauty from Mumbai seems to have all the right ingredients for making it to the top. She was named Miss Beautiful Smile in the India pageant earlier this year.
 
The Mumbai girl has been scoring heavily in preliminary rounds, making her a favourite. In the port city of Gdansk, she was first runner-up in the Miss World Beach Wear competition.
 
Suri was declared second runner-up in the Miss World Dress Designer title.
 
She had taken extra care with her dress as she said: "I wish to showcase the Indian cultural values and to make a great impression of my country."
 
As designer Ritu Kumar says: "Her selection of dresses will certainly enhance her looks and will create a great impression on the judges."
 
Said designer Deepika Gehani: "Her looks are an interesting combination of Indianness with international appeal."
 
In a confident but philosophical tone, the Mumbai beauty told Indian ambassador Anil Wadhwa: "I can simply do my best and leave the rest in the hands of destiny."
 
Suri said, "I don't want to parrot politically-correct answers at the pageant. I aim to be spontaneous and allow my personality to shine."
 
Bollywood director Karan Johar is a judge for the final selection. 

2006 - All Contestants - Click Here to view the pictures