Somai Soren (left) and Dulari Besra became Mr and Miss Adivasi at Karandih. Picture by Srinivas

Jamshedpur, Nov. 5: No ramp walking, no beautiful skin. Instead ethnicity was put to test at this beauty contest, which made it unique in every way.

The Mr and Miss Adivasi contest organised at Jaipal Singh Stadium in Karandih adopted a special policy — be it the selection of contestants or what comprised their wardrobe.

Somai Soren and Dulari Besra, who were titled Mr and Miss Adivasi, respectively, were judged on the basis of their knowledge of Santhal tribals.

Ishwar Soren, culture secretary of Adivasi Youth Club, which organised such a contest for the first time, said the main motive behind such a competition was to revive the fading culture of the tribals.

The occasion of Soharai festival was selected for the contest because over 10,000 people from all walks of life assemble at the annual meal of Karandih. “Instead of looking for superficial beauty, we wanted to test the awareness and understanding of their culture. We wanted to find a boy and a girl who were tribals from heart and had a good knowledge of our tradition, attire and cultural practices,” said Soren.

Instead of inviting applications, an organising committee was formed, and three boys and girls were selected from the mela directly.

“Members moved into the crowd and shorlisted six contestants on the basis of their traditional attires. Academic qualification or profession was not taken into consideration while making the selection,” said Soren.

Most of the contestants didn’t have a high degree of formal eductaion. The most literate female candidate was only a primary school passout. Among males, it was a student of Class IX.

Sona Ram Hansda, a judge said, emphasis was laid on the final question-and-answer round based on Santhal history. “We adjudged Dulari and Soman as the winners because all their answers were correct,” added Hansda.