Q:  Why do you think India is not doing well at international pageants? What do you think is lacking in our beauty contest aspirants?

A: The reason you have had so many winners from South American countries, like Venezuela, Chile or even Brazil, is that they take this contest with the same seriousness that we take the Olympics.

Its a competition for them, on a global platform. The whole country backs it. Even ‘Miss Universe’ must feel the pressure, because at a venue in the Bahamas, you can only hear Spanish because the whole of Venezuela has flown down for the event…

…A lot of the nations that come for the event, big or small, who dont take this so seriously, suffer because their girls never get a natural push that the other countries get, just for sheer involvement in the event. But we are going to change that, because we know inherently that nobody can make as much noise as we can. We are the loudest. This should be the kind of victory that your country calls to congratulate you for.

Q:  Your pageant is also associated with social causes. How important is celebrity status in the glamour industry?

A: When I was a kid in school if you showed me a social message on TV, it would bore me. But if it was integrated into a Santa Barbara, or a beauty pageant, I would be hooked. So for me glamour, sports are very important to be able to express the support for all the causes that one feels strongly for. And there are so many of them. So we have tied up with five NGOs for five causes that we strongly believe in for the 2010 edition of the ‘I am She’ pageant.

Q:  One of the NGOs that you have chosen is ‘Baalasha’. Tell us the reason behind the decision.

A: That is an obvious one. ‘Baalasha’ made my first experience of becoming a mother so painless, and at a time when I was only 24. At that time India didnt allow single parents, especially actresses who were single, to adopt. Baalasha could have made my life really difficult, but instead they went out of their way and made it really easy for me. There are so many kids out there who just need to go home; they seriously need to go home.

Q:  You have just adopted another baby girl, Alisah. Tell us about her.

A: She is adorable! She is so beautiful and Renee is almost like a mother to her. I was just waiting for the courts to make it legal for you to be able to adopt two girls, and the minute that happened, I jumped at the chance. She is three months old and I just want to ask everyone to pray for her.

Q:  What does it take to be a good businesswoman?

A: To be a good businesswoman, most importantly is that you have to be aware. You can do no good unless you are aware. Awareness is of many levels. Once you choose a process, you have to trust it; you have to trust the team you have chosen, because they are your biggest strength. I would say invest in your people. Oh, and always watch your costs! (Text: Reuters)

Courtesy: http://in.news.yahoo.com/photos/slideshow/just-a-minute-with-sushmita-sen.html

1. FREE FALL
Skylab I falling in India
Aportion of the satellite may fall on the earth with a high impact speed (India Today, September 1978). Since it was speculated that the Skylab may fall in south India, it was not uncommon to see people wearing special helmets to protect themselves from the 2,310-kg airlock shroud. In the end, the spacecraft chose to crash into the Indian Ocean near Australia.
2. DARK TALE
Wolves of Pavagada
The year 1983 saw a mystery that has remained unsolved till date. Girl children sleeping next to their parents began disappearing in Pavagada in Karnataka. It was alleged that man-eating wolves were behind it all. There were rumours of these being due to ritualistic sacrifices by a tantrik (India Today, August 1983).
3. FALSE AID
Magic cure for AIDS
Self-styled ayurvedic doctor T.A. Majeed shot into prominence when he claimed to have cured HIV-positive Chitra Soman and her daughter.
He alleged that his findings were being suppressed for ulterior motives (India Today, August 1993).
Soman later died due to full-blown TB as a result of AIDS, and Majeed was never heard of.
4. DIVINE PLOT
The Hindu milk miracle
Much of an entire nation found a common bond, (India Today, October 1995) when Ganesha began drinking milk, followed by the entire pantheon of Hindu Gods.
Dairy outlets in the country ran out of stock.Scientists tried to offer capillary action and surface tension as explanations, but no one was interested. At the end of the day,statues in public places had their mouths tied with cloth to prevent a lactose overdose.
5. GUNNING FOR TROUBLE
Arms dropping in Purulia
On December 17,1995, a treasure trove fit for a modern army (India Today, January 1996) was dropped by a Latvian plane over Purulia in West Bengal.
It was later said that the arms were meant for the Ananda Marg.
Even though the case has been considered a serious breach of Indian national security, our investigative agencies have not yet found answers to questions such as where the dropped arms disappeared, why the Ananda Marg needed ammunition or how a plane entered Indian airspace, dropped weapons and disappeared, undetected.
6. PHANTOM MENACE
Naale Ba ghost
In 1995, Bangaloreans saw the peace of the nights being shattered by a ghost which used to call out to people in their mother’s voice and then kill them. Named Koogumaari, legend has it that it killed three brothers in Guttehalli in Kolar. People came up with a solution: writing Naale Ba at their entrances, which means come tomorrow . This was supposed to confuse it into coming again and returning after reading the message. This fever of a literate ghost with amnesia took nearly a year to subside. Perhaps, the exhaustion of returning again and again proved too much for the poor ghost.
7. CEREMONIAL LOVE
Temple for Khushboo
Building temples for film stars is a national occupation in India. So even the southern sex goddess Khushboo came to acquire one in Tiruchirapalli in Tamil Nadu in the mid-1990s. It was demolished when allegations of her affair with the married actor Prabhu surfaced. Once the relationship ended, she became respectable again and the demolished temple was rebuilt. It survived for nearly a decade, till the time Khushboo aired her views on pre-marital sex. The fact is that such a temple has never existed. So much for myths.
8. SMOKED OUT
Herbal fuel
The year 1996 saw one Ramar Pillai claiming that he had discovered herbs that could turn water into gasoline.
His discovery earned him many admirers worldwide.
There was much embarrassment in 2000 when he confessed to the fraud and was jailed.
9. BEAST’S DAY OUT
Monkey man
A half-simian, halfhuman entity which moved stealthily through the dark attacking the innocent (India Today, May 2001) created havoc in Delhi. Theories on the Monkey Man being an avatar of Hanuman were squashed after the creature hurt several people said to be devotees of Lord Ram. Desperate people started beating up anyone resembling the description put out by the police. The creature soon tired of its antics and disappeared from public view, until a Russian website reported in June that it was last seen aboard a flight to Moscow.
10. TRIBAL INSTINCTS
Siddi olympian venture
The Sports Authority of India (SAI) came up with a brainwave to improve the nation’s performance in sports train the Siddis, a poverty-ridden African tribe in India, for such events because they thought Africans were natural athletes.The project, spanning nearly 16 years, saw not a single Siddi making a mark in any sport. SAI finally realised that a proper environment was equally important. ]]> http://cityrockz.com/farewell-2009/10-things-that-could-happen-only-in-india/feed/ 4 http://cityrockz.com/farewell-2009/foto-compose-from-2009-teen-choice-awards/ http://cityrockz.com/farewell-2009/foto-compose-from-2009-teen-choice-awards/#comments Wed, 30 Dec 2009 13:39:40 +0000 John Abraham http://cityrockz.com/?p=54830