‘I think I made a difference’

Hyderabad Dec 15th : Alittle nervous, very excited,” is how Pantaloons Femina Miss India World Parvathy Omanakuttan, who was a hot favourite for the crown all the way through and finally missed the title by a hair’s breadth to emerge the first runner up at the Miss World 2008, describes how she was feeling at the finale event of the pageant, held in Johannesburg, South Africa. But none of the nervousness showed on her face as she smiled and posed confidently on the stage along with four other pretty women who’d been selected for the final round. Parvathy was asked to describe her journey by one of the judges. And she did that quite confidently, with, “In India and South Africa people are warm and warm-hearted. I felt at home in Johannesburg. Great leaders such Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi have influenced millions of people in both the countries,” she answered to a round of thundering applause. And then it was party time. We tried to talk to her, late in the evening, after the pageant. “Please call me in the morning, I am at a party,” she told us, barely audible amid the loud music. The morning after, Parvathy sounded a tad disappointed. “I expected to win, you know. Especially after the question and answer round. I don’t know what went wrong,” she said. But still, it’s after eight long years that a Miss India has managed to go so far at the pageant. Not that we haven’t won the Miss World title before. India boasts of Miss Worlds like Reita Faria (1966), Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (1994), Diana Hayden (1997), Yukta Mookhey (1999) and Priyanka Chopra (2000). But still, Parvathy has managed to bring India right back into the reckoning at the event. “That is true,” Parvathy agreed, “I guess I have made some difference to our country. But still, I would have been happier had I won.” That will not make a difference, wait till you see the reception in India that awaits you, Parvathy. “Dekhte hain. But right now, I am dying to see my cousin sister and my nephew. She delivered on the 27th and I wasn’t there with her,” said Parvathy. But this whole Miss World experience must have given her a lot of exposure. “That’s true. I meant it when I told the judges that the whole journey was a great experience. You know, after the crowning ceremony, there was a ball in the night. And there, the individual continent winners were announced. I won the Continental Queen of Beauty for Asia and Oceania. I guess that’s some consolation,” she told us. That’s not just a consolation, Parvathy, that’s just great, we wanted to tell her. But guess we’ll wait for her to come home for that!