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Sixteen ladies from different walks of life, cultures and traditions will showcase both their looks and brains at one of the island's premium beauty pageants, the Indian Club May Queen Ball.

Entrants have stunned the audience with their looks and charm for more than 30 years of the pageant and many say it has helped them go on towards their dreams.

K M Cherian, general secretary of the club said: "So many of our winners have gone on to become models, actresses and air hostesses.

"For this year's event there will be seven judges from different professions with a wide range of experience in this field."

May Queen 2008 winner Soumya S Kumar, 27 from India, thanks her lucky stars for helping her win the title.

She said: "The May Queen has helped me to broaden my horizons and helped me grow more confident.

"It has made me see the many possibilities of polishing my personality to a great extent.

"I had heard that the May Queen is an experience that you will cherish all your life.

"I am aspiring for higher challenges in life in the field of modeling as I have been a model in Kerala before coming to Bahrain three years ago.

"The May Queen was the first competition where I achieved my dream because of the strong support of my family, friends and colleagues and it has certainly given me exposure to a wider cross-section of the crowd.

"I will certainly use this as a pedestal to make this dream of mine a reality."

Ever since childhood, Soumya from Umm Al Hassam, has been a fan of the fame and glamour of the Indian cinema industry.

In school, because of her long hair and slim figure, she used to also be referred as Shobana, like the well known Indian actress.

As she grew up, however, her visions changed and her love of travel made her pursue a career as an air hostess, keeping her movie aspirations dormant and shelving her parents' dream for her to join the civil service.

She said: "The moment that took me almost to the doorstep of achieving fame was when I was offered roles in Malayalam and Tamil films back home. I was thrilled and excited when it came my way but at the time I wasn't too keen to take it up."

Having participated in various competitions while in school and also having featured on the front cover of renowned Indian magazine, Vanitha, Soumya received several movie offers, all of which she refused to continue flying.

However since winning the May Queen title, her childhood dreams of joining the Indian film industry have resurfaced and she hopes to someday reign over the big screen.

She offers a word of advice for her successor: "Beauty is a blessing from the creator, use the title to promote charity on the island to the so many unfortunate and less privileged sections of the society.

"As the tiara rests on your head, feel also the weight of responsibility resting on your head towards fellow human beings who need your helping hand."

The Indian Club May Queen Ball will be held at the club in Manama on May 21. The event will feature women from a number of countries including India, Pakistan, Bahrain, the Philippines, Egypt, Sri Lankan, Russia and the UK.

The event is being choreographed by Bahrain resident Kevin D'Cunha while the stage decorations will be handled by Indian textile line Kshetra.

Cash prizes worth $1,000 (BD378) will be awarded to winners in addition to gift hampers including resort stays, air tickets, jewellery and electronics. For details contact 39464863, 36180265, 36647253 or 39873887.