“Proud and happy” Lara Dutta saves us from the drought
Upon hearing that Lara Dutta (21) won the Miss Universe pageant on 13 May, I conducted a small, unscientific poll. asked several of my South Asian friends in the United States if they had heard the 'sensational' news: most had, this within hours of the announcement in Nicosia, Cyprus. Then I asked a host of non-South Asians, and I checked the US newspapers. I drew a blank. No one| seemed interested.
So what is Miss Universe, this annual pageant that makes the Indian media go all barmy ("Lara Dutta's sister says she used to love posing for photographs as a child")? And even bring forth this frothy homage from Prime Minister ABV: "I wish to congratulate you on your winning the Miss Universe contest. Your success is a tribute to the Indian woman and her aspirations for excellence."