|
Ms. Lanka 2009 Kherishma Selvaratnam:
The courage to shine
by Nilma Dole
The sweet-faced and charming
Kherishma Selvaratnam will go down in history as the only woman of Tamil
ethnicity to win a prestigious beauty title. In the year that the
country clinched a national victory over terrorism, Kherishma won the
coveted Sunday Observer Ms Lanka 2009 crown, the first of her kind to do
so.
“I remember when I was asked a question at the pageant about how I
would define the modern woman and I replied that ‘a woman is better than
a man!’ and it was enough to make me win the title, which was
surprising” said a smiling Kherishma.
 Overcoming all odds to prove herself worthy for the title, Kherishma
said that she had jitters because she wasn’t sure of winning. “I felt
more confident after winning the mini-titles like Miss Elegance and Miss
Continental for western style,” she noted.
Kherishma said that she is happy that the war is over because even
though she was indeed subject to screening at the checkpoints, she said
that the armed forces did their duty to protect the country from
terrorism. “I admire our President for winning the war but we still need
to develop our country and economy which will take time,” she said.
Kherishma said that nowadays, the mentality of Sri Lankans are changing
from what it was before the war as the war has made them think more
broad-mindedly.
She commented, “If people were still biased about ethnicities, then I
wouldn’t have won the Ms.Lanka title.” About the Ms.Lanka pageant
itself, Kherishma said that she didn’t know the contest generated so
much interest until people started noticing it and supported her. “I had
these comments on Facebook and it was flattering to know that people
stood by me to vote during the contest” she said.
Speaking about her experiences of the contest, she said, “My mother
is very supportive and she was a pillar of strength for me as soon as I
applied for the beauty competition. She told me to believe in myself and
she always wanted me to take part in a pageant.” Further she said, “I
thank Ms. Kuhuthewa for her advice and the fact that she said that every
woman should keep and maintain her respect.” Born in the beautiful town
of Trincomalee, Kherishma said that most of her relatives have migrated
abroad. She has three elder brothers who treat her with
over-protectiveness but with love. “My father was a marine engineer so
he travelled extensively but when he had a contract in Oman, we all
relocated to Salala when I was in the 9th standard,” said Kherishma.
Eventually, she attended the Indian School in Salala and came back to
the country after she did her AL in the Commerce stream.
Currently working at a leading bank in Sri Lanka for the past one and
a half years, Kherishma said that she is studying for her CIMA exams.
She commented, “It’s much cheaper to study in Sri Lanka than abroad and
I’m here to get my qualifications and then hopefully, settle down
abroad.” As for the future, Kherishma said that she hopes one day to be
successful and then when she is more established, to have her own
school. “I want to offer free education to under-privileged children
because I believe I can make a difference in the world.
She acknowledges her parents and family, her work colleagues at
Nations Trust Bank, the Sunday Observer, Ms.Kuhuthewa and her friends
who participated with her for the Ms.Lanka title. “I advise young girls
who want to take part in beauty contests to keep a good head above your
shoulders, don’t stoop to low levels to win a title but keep your
respect, be yourself and go for it!” she concluded with a Ms.Lanka
smile.
|
