Indian culture helped me win title, says Miss America

December 28, 2014 12:23 am | Updated November 16, 2021 09:10 pm IST - VIJAYAWADA:

Miss America Nina Davuluri in Vijayawada on Saturday. Photo: Ch. Vijaya Bhaskar

Miss America Nina Davuluri in Vijayawada on Saturday. Photo: Ch. Vijaya Bhaskar

“The fact that I am rooted in Indian culture helped me win Miss America pageant,” said Miss America 2014 Nina Davuluri.

Ms. Davuluri had floored her judges and the audience at the pageant by performing a Bollywood classical fusion dance on a peppy Hindi film song .

Self-confidence is the first requisite to great undertakings and Ms. Davuluri is a shining example of it. Clad in a heavily-embroidered chaniya choli, she had swayed with great confidence showcasing her Indian moorings on the international platform.

She is currently in the city to be with her extended family for the first time after winning the pageant. “My last visit to Vijayawada city was in 2009. The city has changed a lot but people are the same, warm and affectionate,” she said at a press conference here. She considers 2014 ‘very fortunate’ as it brought her the coveted title.

Referring to her Vijayawada connection, she said, “As a child, I learnt classical dance here.” Asked if she would take a plunge in films like many other beauty queens, Ms. Davuluri said she was not interested in movies. “I want to keep myself engaged in service to society, especially in the field of women empowerment,” she said.

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