Vizag beauty after becoming first runnerup at Miss India 2013

I CHANNELLED MARILYN MONROE, NOT MOTHER TERESA Says Telugu girl Sobhita Dhulipala who was crowned Miss India (Earth) ’13 Sarah Salvadore It’s yet to sink in... I’ve been preparing for the Miss India pageant for months now. Sunday passed like a dream. When my name was announced on stage, I went up, got crowned and did all those things, without realising that I had won! It is yet to sink in. It’s a dream-come-true for me, so maybe it’ll take time. I was an introvert I grew up in Vizag. My father is a marine engineer and I come from a conservative Telugu Brahmin family. As a child, I was a complete introvert. But I realised that I needed to be more social, so I started training in dance, took part in elocution etc. I watched the Miss India contest on TV every year and aspired to be there someday, but when it actually happened, it was unbelievable! I owe a lot to classical dance I’m a trained Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi dancer. Though I was an introvert, dance helped me express myself. I believe that dance is the language of the soul. Unfortunately, classical dance isn’t appreciated much. But at the Miss India contest, I staged a Bharatanatyam recital and won the Miss Talent contest! Such appreciation is encouraging. Dance has also taught me patience. At the pageant, when all eyes were on us, I was surprisingly calm and composed. I wasn’t nervous to walk up to the judges and answer their questions. I was honest,and it paid off People always make fun of beauty pageants and criticise contestants for using the ‘Mother Teresa template’ for all their answers. I wasn’t conscious about it, but when I was asked the question ‘What would be your one regret if you were to die tomorrow?’, I quoted Marilyn Monroe, who said, ‘Regrets are stupid, so no fears’, and then said that I would like to spend my last day on earth partying with my sister and letting her know how much I love her. Beauty pageant purists may have scoffed at this answer, but the judges just loved it! I quoted Marilyn as I feel she was honest and free-spirited. I believed I should be honest on stage. It helped! I ran down to hug mom After winning the pageant, I ran down the stage and hugged my mother tight. We come from a conservative family, and don’t really express our love for one another in such a manner. My mother was shocked and elated. I could see tears in her eyes. Later when the lights dimmed and I was alone, the first thought that came to mind was to gorge on chocolates (laughs)! I too have movie dreams Whenever I was in Hyderabad, I would make it a point to watch all the Telugu movies playing in the theatre. I’m a pucca Telugu and love movies (laughs). I absolutely adore Mahesh Babu. The Miss India pageant has successfully launched the careers of so many actors in Hindi cinema. I haven’t decided a career path for myself, but I’m open to doing movies or walking the ramp. Vizag is me,I am Vizag I was born in Vizag, and brought up here for most part of my life. I think I embody the spirit of Vizag. The city is patient, laid back and easygoing, surrounded by lazy beaches and beautiful hills. At the same time, it’s fast developing as an IT and business hub. I have imbibed the spirit of my city in me — patient, chilled out, yet beautiful in its soul. Hyderabad, on the other hand, has been fun to visit every time. I have extended family there and it is one happy reunion whenever I visit the city. My family, cousins, friends and people from my school have supported me so much. I plan to go back to Vizag soon and meet all of them. Then I’ll make a stop at Hyderabad and chill out. It would be the perfect vacation!     sarah.salvadore@timesgroup.com  Sobhita Dhulipala Sobhita Dhulipala