Sumudu and Vinu, joint winners of Derana Veet Miss Sri Lanka

By Anuradha KODAGODA

The glamorous and most outstanding Derana Veet Miss Sri Lanka for Miss World 2012 pageant was concluded last week and the specialty at this year's pageant was that the Miss Sri Lanka 2012 title was shared by two contestants who were chosen as joint winners to the title. They are Vinu Udani Siriwardhana and Sumudu Prasadini.

The official Derana Veet Miss Sri Lanka 2012 pageant was held last Saturday at Blue Water Wadduwa.

The contestants making their dramatic parade for the panel of judges and the audience.

The event was coloured with many entertaining acts by professional entertainers namely Naadro, Natanda Dance Theatre of Sri Lanka - Choreography by Kapila Paliyawadana and Beat Box with Corrine Almeida provided the music.

There were fourteen mini pageants which took place during the past three months and the winners were announced at the event. Finally the Derana Veet Miss Sri Lanka 2012, the prestigious award of the pageant which everyone was eagerly awaiting was announced and the title winner was selected as Vinu Udani Siriwardhana.

Even though at the official event, the Miss Sri Lanka 2012 was recorded as Vinu Udani Siriwardhana, last Wednesday Derana made an announcement that there was a calculation error and they crowned Sumudu Prasadini also as joint winner of the Miss Sri Lanka 2012 and the title is now shared by Vinu and Sumudu.

At the ceremony held last Wednesday at Galle Face hotel to crown Sumudu Prasadini as the Miss Sri Lanka 2012, Chairman Derana, Laksiri Wickramage, said , "Though we crowned Vinu Udani Siriwardhana as the Derana Veet Miss Sri Lanka 2012 last Saturday, there was a calculation error. Since we are in an industry where there is human involvement, it is obvious that these issues occur from time to time. However, being a responsible TV channel, we are ready to accept that the fault lies with us and we won't hesitate to correct the lapse, because as I believe not only in business but also in personal lives.

The most important fact is to keep the trust between the contestants and the management.

As soon as we realised that there was a lapse on our part and that there was a mistake in the calculation, the very next day we held a meeting with the panel of judges and came to the conclusion that Sumudu Prasadini would also be crowned as a joint winner of the Derana Veet Miss Sri Lanka competition and that she will participate in the Miss World 2012 pageant in China this year.

However, we are not ready to let Vinu Udani down and therefore, she too has been declared as a joint winner of the Derana Veet Miss Sri Lanka and we will make sure that she will participate in another international beauty pageant before the end of this year.

Derana is always willing to correct mistakes and whatever hardship we've been through we are ready to establish that justice and honesty will prevail in everything we do."

At the event held for the panel of judges, Noeline Honter said that "I was shocked when the announcement was made saying that Vinu was the title winner.

Though we voted individually I had the feeling that the title winner must be Sumudu. After the event we talked to each other and as there was some doubt about the winner we informed the Derana management that there must be a mistake in the final decision.

We got together the very next day and the management also realised that there was a mistake in the calculation.

However, being a member of the panel of judges, I'm really glad that Derana had the courage to accept the mistake and decide that there should be joint winners without causing any heartache to the winner who was selected earlier, without letting down any contestant," .

Derana then once again crowned Sumudu Prasadini who was also selected as a winner of the Miss Sri Lanka 2012 pageant. later.

"I am so happy and I just can't find words to express my feeling and still I feel like as if I am dreaming," the Derana Veet Miss Sri Lanka 2012 joint winner, Sumudu Prasadini said.

"Last Saturday when they announced Vinu as the Derana Veet Miss Sri Lanka 2012, I was disappointed and even sad however, I felt happy for my friend Vinu and at the same time I was however pleased because I won a few mini titles and I was selected as the first runner- up of the Derana Veet Miss Sri Lanka 2012.

I never had a doubt about the judgment because I strongly believed that there wouldn't be any mistakes.

However, after the event most of the judges came up to me and said that something must have gone wrong because everybody had selected me as the winner. Even at that time I had no doubts about the final decision.

However, last Wednesday I got to know that there was a calculation error and that I would also be a joint winner.

I'm so pleased about the panel of judges and the management of Derana TV. If they thought only about their goodwill and prestige, they would have ignored the matter.

But they were truthful enough to admit their mistake and I'm so grateful for their courage to accept it and correct it.

I always believe that if a person deserves something, he or she will be the one who will receive it and I received what I deserved," she said.

Vinu Udani Siriwardhana who is the joint winner of Derana Veet Miss Sri Lanka 2012 and also the winner of the Sunday Observer Most Popular Contestant said that, "I was so thrilled to win the Derana Veet Miss Sri Lanka 2012 title.

However, after a few days they said that there was a calculation error and this time there would be two winners and that the other winner was Sumudu Prasadini.

Derana TV has been handling this pageant for the past five years and it is a very professional organisation.

I really appreciate the management and it's unbelievable to comprehend that there was a calculation error.

However, I'm grateful to the people who voted for me and for the support and encouragement given throughout the contest."

Being the official print media sponsor the Sunday Observer wishes the joint winners good luck for their participation in the world contests.