Telugu association hosts 16 beauties to a night of learning
By GEETHA KRISHNAN
Photos by KAMAL SELEHUDDIN
SIXTEEN Miss Malaysia Indian Global 2007 finalists got a dose of Telugu culture recently.
The pageant, organised by the Miss Malaysialndia Care Association, is essentially a self-development programme designed for Malaysian Indian women.
One component of the programme explores the multi sub-ethnic groups within the Indian community.
As she belonged to the Telugu community, Miss Malaysia Indian Global 2006 Mourhrna Aneeta Reddy suggested that the finalists gain an insight into Telugu culture and members of the Telugu Association of Malaysia set the idea in motion.
The gathering of 100-odd people was held at the home of a member in Subang Jaya. During the course of the evening, the finalists savoured Telugu-styled entertainment in the form of folk dances and enjoyed Telugu cuisine.
Also present were the pageant's principal organiser Pushparani Thilaganathan, Miss MalaysiaIndia Care Association chief operating officer Mohanaapriya Sina Raja and president Sharanjit Kaur Dhaliwal.
Pushparani said the pageant was different because it encouraged young Indian women to embark on self-discovery and personal development journeys.
Telugu Association of Malaysia – Selangor/Wilayah Branch chairman Datuk Dr Prakash Rao said members of the Telugu community were ecstatic when the idea to share their culture and cuisine was proposed.
“We expected a turnout of 60 people but the group got larger when word spread that the finalists would be paying us a visit. The association has 650 members,” he said.
Rao also said there were some 300,000 Telugus in Malaysia and attempts to reach other members of the community were being made through the website www.telugumalaysia.com.
For the cuisine segment, the women's group chairman Thanaletchumy Malreddy and other ladies taught the finalists the finer aspects of preparing vegetarian dishes like gonghora, ughadi patchadi and garulu.
The Miss Malaysia Indian Global 2007 finals will be held at the Plenary Hall of the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre on Oct 6.