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Step by step

All smiles Miss Kerala 2008 Shree Thulasi Mohan

Shree Thulasi Mohan is all smiles. Having won the Miss Kerala 2008 crown, which she says, “came unexpected,” this dusky beauty is longing for a break. “It has been a roller-coaster ride since I won the crown. It has been a constant meet-the-press, events to attend…Not that I am complaining, it is great meeting new people, but I am looking forward to my trip back home to Kannur to my family,” says 21-year-old Shree Thulasi.

It was for a lark that Shree Thulasi sent in an application for the pageant. “I had completed my graduation in interior design in Dubai and was coming down to India for the holidays when I saw the announcement for the contest on the Net and decided to try my luck,” says this self-confessed Net addict. “In fact, I had forgotten about it once I came down as I was busy visiting relatives. It was when the pageant authorities contacted me that I remembered I had applied.”

And then it was grooming sessions in public speaking, choreography, health, fitness and all. “The sessions were useful for all 22 contestants. If it taught the right posture for one, it taught another poise and grace. I think the most useful session was the one on public speaking. We were encouraged to speak from the heart. Instead of say, a clichéd “I want to be the next Mother Teresa,” we were encouraged to think ‘out of the box.’ Also during one of the rounds we were asked to speak on a topic or issue that we felt deeply about. That I felt really gave us a platform to air our thoughts.”

And airing her thoughts is one of the things she is looking forward to during her reign as Miss Kerala. “Being Miss Kerala gives me a voice. ”

So, what is the issue she would like to highlight? “Well, it is about girls getting married off after the age of 24,25. For many, that is the end of their youth, a full stop to a ‘could have been’ bright and prosperous education, career... Thus most girls don’t plan for a future past that age as they think it is marriage and a family life after that. I would like to point out that girls should not be forced to marry just because she is close to or has crossed that ‘marriageable age’ mark, but because she truly wants too.”

And how does it feel to be a celebrity? Laughs Shree Thulasi: “Most people do not recognise me as they have just seen the photos in the newspaper. But what comes as a surprise is how most of them seem surprised when I speak to them. Somehow they seem to have formed an opinion that I am cold.”

Having been raised in Abu Dhabi, was Malayalam a problem? “Yes. I used to speak Malayalam to only my family. But after entering the contest I have started speaking more Malayalam.”

Asked if her next step is Miss India and Shree Thulasi replies: “I will really need time to ponder. It will be a lot more strenuous and will require in-depth grooming sessions. Let’s see, let me take things step by step.”

And Mollywood? Says Shree Thulasi who is a trained classical dancer: “Not really. Maybe, if there is a really good script, good director under a good banner.”

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