Says Miss America 2014, Nina Davuluri, who is on an official tour to India with Mumbai, Hyderabad and Vijayawada on her itinerary
My future definitely lies in ‘Politics’. It’s very important to reach a position where our voice can be heard and an opportunity could arrive to create changes as desired in the society
Nina Davuluri who won the glamorous Miss America title in 2014 was the first Indian American to be crowned with the coveted pageant. She is the first to perform a Bollywood dance on the Miss America stage.
Nina, who has her roots in Vijayawada, is on an official tour to India and she says that it’s good to be coming back to India more so in the capacity of being ‘Miss America’, which provides an opportunity to advocate for women's education and provides scholarship assistance to young women.
“This is not a competition, which takes you on a walk on the ramp or the glamour of beauty contests. It’s a socially responsible support system that has given me an opportunity to further my studies in the top most educational institutions.
During my college days, I launched a campaign ‘Circles of Unity’. This was all about bringing together all the international students in schools on a platform to celebrate oneness. There is diversity in the world but we all have the same aspirations.
We all have the same problems and solutions for a better world,” she shares and adds, “We created different nation specific school circles like India, Egypt, Mexico, etc and started celebrating diversity through cultural competency.
Every nation has an ever increasing population of immigrants. And America is no exception. There are issues which always keep coming to the fore and there is a need to resolve them through the process of dialogue. Culture is one area that can unite people and break all barriers.”
Nina’s programme ‘STEM’ (importance of education in science, technology, engineering and math) is aimed towards opportunities for higher education, for diverse career opportunities, and it gives individuals a chance to contribute to progress for humanity’s future.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been keen to support the cause of ‘Girl Rising', a global campaign to educate and empower girls and I look forward to being a part of the project in the near future,” she says.
Nina learnt Kuchipudi and Bharatnatyam in her younger days. She says that at times, she would feel like skipping her classes, but Nina’s parents and grandparents would always encourage her to continue the classes. Later in the USA, the ‘Bollywood dance’ bug caught her attention and it created a fusion of sorts in her dance.
“I decided to do a ‘Classical Bollywood Fusion Dance’ during the talent segment of the Miss America competition. Many of my well-wishers dissuaded me from doing so and wanted me to take up a modern performance. But I stood ground and decided to do something that was close to my heart. My mother, Sheela Davuluri, is an information technology specialist and my father Chaudhury Davuluri, is a gynaecologist.
But all this education in my family started from my grandmother Koteshwaramma who was one of the first women to get educated in India. Today, she heads the Montessori group of educational institutions in Vijayawada. One cannot say that we are in a world free of racism,” Nina says.
“There are issues, which surface frequently in a different manner and there is an opportunity to correct them and move forward. The presidential elections are round the corner in America. But I have still not decided or thought about the pros and cons of the candidates who are likely to be in the final fray of elections,” Nina adds.
Nina shares that tennis has been her favourite pastime. However, since a year, she is not finding much time for it. “My future definitely lies in ‘Politics’. It’s very important to reach a position where our voice can be heard and an opportunity could arrive to create changes as desired in the society. Politics can give that edge and I would definitely aim for it,” she says as she signs off.
