Advaita’s dream

The teenage beauty who wowed judges at the Indian Club’s May Queen contest hopes that winning the title will take her one step closer to her ultimate dream of becoming Miss Universe, writes May Al Mousawi.

Sultry Advaita Shetty, at 17-years-old and standing 5ft-8ins tall, has all the natural attributes to make it to the top in the highly-competitive world of beauty pageants, according to the judges of Thursday evening’s contest. 

Her wistful elegance left her the last of 12 contestants standing in the annual May Queen Beauty Ball 2012 at the Manama club, marked ahead of Venezula Bolduzo and Natasha Salcar in the runners-up positions.

Advaita, from Hoora, said: “From an early age I have had this dream of becoming Miss Universe and I want to continue trying to fulfil it. 

“I think winning this contest is a step in the right direction but it wasn’t all about coming first, it was about participating and experiencing the occasion. 

“The event was fun and well-organised.

“I think the best make-up a girl can put on is a smile. A person’s smile is very important and I like to think mine showcases my personality, so I focused on shining through with it.”

Anand Lobo, the chief coordinator on the beauty pageant’s organising committee, assisted the girls throughout the event, bringing in former contestant Tricia Teles and choreographer Kevin D’Cunha to help the contestants. 

“Advaita carried herself very well,” he said. “I believe the judgment was right.”

Advaita participated in her first beauty pageant at the age of 14 but says a lack of confidence made her shy to enter any again until last weekend. She believes the contest helped her overcome a fear of being on stage.

“In my first beauty contest I wore a gown that didn’t fit and I was really scared as there were no rehearsals. This event was completely different and has taught me a lot of things,” she said. “We only had 10 minutes to change between outfits and hair, so I didn’t have time to think about my nerves and the whole experience allowed me to grow in terms of self-belief. 

“I honestly believe this May Queen contest can help people who are lacking confidence to come out of their shell. They can take part and face their insecurities whilst making new friends and experience something that they will never forget.”

The contestants, hailing from a variety of nations including Russia, the Philippines, Germany, Sri Lanka and India, aged between 16 and 28, strutted their outfits in three different catwalk categories; casual fashion, traditional clothing and formal wear. The contestants also had to tell the judges about themselves.

Advaita said. “I watch a lot of beauty pageants on television and I sometimes joke around with my friends pretending to be questioned for Miss Universe. It really prepared me when I was asked: ‘What does beauty mean to you? I focused on inner beauty and that’s what I believe got me the crown.”

Advaita is starting at the American University of Sharjah in September to study biology, and plans to enter other contests on the road to Miss Universe. 

Her banker father, Ajit, and mother, Jaya, encourage her to follow her dreams. “My parents are very supportive,” she said. “My mum worked very hard, she’s a beautician so she did my make-up and my hair and helped with my accessories.”

As well as gaining the title of May Queen, Advaita received a ticket to Bombay, a 42-inch LCD TV, an electric grinder juicer, $150 in cash and a BD100 voucher towards diamond jewellery.

“It was worth the long hours of practicing,” she said. “With the help of Tricia and Kevin, I can now tell my friends, ‘hey look, you’re talking to the May Queen!’.”