Kerala - Kochi   

Firmly rooted in Kerala’s core values

. Photo: Vipin Chandran

Beauty and the message: Femina Miss India World Parvathy Omanakuttan in Kochi on Saturday

KOCHI: “I never felt out of place in Kerala, nor do I move around pretending not to know Malayalam, as some youth who left Kerala to settle in other places do,” — some plainspeaking from Parvathy Omanakuttan, Miss India World 2008.

Conversing in simple and chaste Malayalam about her ambitions, loves and hates, she comes across as a rare mix of a modern girl who is deep-rooted in tradition, her feet firmly on the ground. What makes her unique is that she is not “standardised” — she has managed to retain her core character and opinions, despite the long-winded training sessions that often churn out contestants in a single mould. Parvathy, accompanied by her father and mother, was in Kochi on Saturday as part of the “I’m proud to be Malayali” campaign, a function where District Collector A P M Mohammed Hanish was the chief guest.

Ms Parvathy spoke of how she treasured Kerala’s unique value systems which helped her win the Miss India World title. This will see her represent India at the Miss World 2008 contest in Ukraine in October. Even the dress that she wore was made from handloom sari material and spoke of her love for her home-State that she left when she was seven months’ old. “I have made a conscious decision to promote handlooms, since many weavers in Kerala are losing their jobs,” the statement, coming from a beauty queen, did not appear clichéd.

Her parents saw to it that Parvathy and her brother Jayasurya spoke only Malayalam at home. “Malayali women are very smart and talented – people who excel in all fields. It is often sad to see women from other States and foreigners endorse Malayali brands,” says Parvathy.

She asserts that there are good and bad people in all fields. “It is how well you conduct yourself with dignity and self-esteem that matters. I know the limits and will stand by my core values come what may.” He father spoke of how till the age of 11, everybody thought that Parvathy would become an ace athlete like P T Usha, considering the numerous prizes that she won in sports events.

The turnaround in her life was Sushmita Sen winning the Miss Universe title and Aishwarya Rai walking away with the Miss World crown, which changed the course of her career.

Ms Parvathy feels that beauty pageants are a great platform for women to speak their mind and boost their confidence.

To the question about her foray into movies came the reply — “I take one step at a time. At present, I am 200 per cent focused on winning the Miss World title.”

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