DN page 18 F R I D A Y , N O V E M B E R 3 0 , 2 0 1 2ZEST

NIPUNI WIMALAPALA

She is typically Sri Lankan. Her tan skin, doe eyes, long black

hair and svelte figure radiates a perfect blend of Sri Lankaness.

Her hospitality, intelligence, con-fidence and attractive mannerism of speaking singles her our even amid a crowd of beauties and this is what helped her bag the second runner up title at the International pageant held in Okinawa, Japan, recently. Meet Madusha Mayadunne, the Sri Lanan beauty who set Sri Lanka on the map.

The International Cultural Asso-ciation had initiated the pageant to prompted world peace and mutual understanding between nations. Delegates from different nations represented their countries as the ‘Goodwill Ambassadors of Beauty’ throughout the years. The pageant originated in the US and then in 1968 and 1970, and from 1972 onwards, it was held in Japan. It was organized by Japan and China in 2004 and 2006.

Not limiting it to beauty alone, the pageant also focuses on cultivat-

ing relationships between coun-tries. It looks towards giving the best of the contestants’ capabilities back into the society.

As Madusha puts it, the journey has been no bed of roses. It is a less traveled path of determination and dedication.

“It demanded commitment, hard work and effort. However I took each step with a steady purpose. Even as a child I was concerned about being truly Sri Lankan. Luck-ily I possess good presentation skills. I think both these qualities helped me achieve this victory. I have a very good academic record as well with a lot of special achieve-ments. I was also involved in a lot of

extracurricular work during my school time and within university. I have studied abroad where I got the opportunity to communicate with a variety of people from different countries,” Madusha said.

She says that wherever she goes, she tries to project herself as a Sri Lankan. Even though she had spent years abroad, her look, attitude and behaviour radiates Sri Lankan essence.

“Around 80 countries took part in the pageant. I was shocked at first when I glimpsed the first gathering. The contestants were all extremely beautiful and wearing expensive, fairy-like clothes. Gradually I began to developed confidence because I realized that I possess unique fea-tures. I worked towards highlight-ing my asserts,” she noted adding that the first step she took was to wear her elephant printed Kandyan saree which became the most attrac-tive attire at the gathering.

“I think it I impressed the judges. This feedback shaped my next move. I paid keen attention to my costumes throughout the competi-tion and made sure that each and every garment or accessory repre-sent my country,” she recalled as

she traced her path to suc-cess.

Another important step that she had taken was to take part in all the sessions and highlight Sri Lanka at each event.

Facts like the country being free from terror-ism, the post conflict development process and the natural splen-dours of the island trig-gered interest among her colleagues as well as the judges. She also touched upon areas like beauty, diplomacy, economy, tourism and politics.

“We can popularize Sri Lanka around the globe through such events. Victory is a bonus point. We need to cater these plus points of our beautiful nation to the world. This includes the the location, natu-ral beauty, naturally gifted resources and the uniqueness of Sri Lankan heritage. I am ecstatic today because I have been able to bring honour to my motherland,” she added with a smile of content.

Her future plans are crystal clear. She hopes to pursue higher studies

abroad. Her ambi-tion is to become a diplomat through which she can offi-cially represent the country.

Her wishes to serve Sri Lanka using her talents and recognition and more importantly she works towards upgrading the lives of those affected by terrorism and the poverty stricken citizens from the rural areas in the country. She believes that she could make use of her education, intelligence and beauty to make a difference.

She describes herself as a nature lover, a social worker, sportswom-an and ultimately a true Sri Lan-

kan. She wishes to thank Rosita Wikramasinghe, Michael Wijesu-riya, Ramani Fernando, Manesh Fernando, Sangeetha Weerarath-na, Channa Wijewardene, Ajith Wijesekara, Lou Ching Wong, Loretta Gunewardene, Dammi Peiris and many others who sup-ported her in her journey to suc-cess.

Taking Sri Lanka to the worldMadusha’s mission

‘I realized that I possess unique features. I worked towards highlighting my asserts. We need to cater the key attractions of our

beautiful nation to the world. This includes the

the location, natural beauty, naturally gifted

resources and the uniqueness of Sri Lankan

heritage’

Madusha Mayadunne. Picture by Sarath Peiris

Madhusha with some of the other contestants at the pageant

“Dancing, like all forms of art, is ulti-

mately a self expression. Language and words can never completely convey or express our emotions in their entirety. Thus dance is a way to express fully the complex ranges of emotions we feel with, literally, every fiber of our being. It is also a way to have fun and

escape the social bounda-ries, responsibilities and pressures of our daily lives- if only for a moment,” says former Miss Sri Lanka for Miss Universe and talented dancer Stephanie Siriward-hana.

Taking advantage of her knowledge and experience drawn from her rigorous training and her interna-

tional performances on stages like Montreal, Toron-to, Florida, Bermuda and New York, Stephanie thought of sharing all of it with dance lovers through her newly formed Ladies’ programme called Steph-anie’s Special Sundays, whereby she will teach ladies styling and which are specific dance moves and steps to embellish their per-formance to dazzle, impress, amaze and charm their audiences, families, friends and significant other.

The classes will be con-ducted on Sundays at Nawa-la Studios, 169, Nawala Narahenpita Road, close to Arpico.

Stephanie first started dancing at the age of 17 with some of her high school friends at the San Tropez Dance School in Montreal.What started out as simply a fun past time soon became a passion for her.

She continued learning the art with her aunt, who had also decided to start

dancing. That is how her life changed.

She said, “Dancing taught me to trust and believe in myself because I really wanted my dancing to improve and that couldn’t happen without taking a leap of faith in myself. It taught me to overcome my inhibitions and really con-nect with the Stephanie that was hidden within me in a way I never knew possible. So to say it simply, dance liberated me!”

Before she knew it she was addicted to dancing. Three years had passed and she had become a member of the San Tropez Dance troupe as well as the Ladies Styling troupe. When peo-ple think of dancing many people say “I can’t dance” or “I have two left feet!’ but to these people Stephanie would like to say that danc-ing is something innate in everyone. Her logic behind this is that our heart beats at a rhythm, and that rhythm pulses and travels throughout our body through our blood.

Special treat from Stephanie

Budding beauticians and fashionistas flocked to Galle

to take part in the much acclaimed Sunsilk Hair Experts programme recently.

The aim of this event was to encourage rural women to become well groomed experts in the field of beauty care. This year’s event attracted around 2000 participants.

Sunsilk, for the 10th consecutive year, com-menced its annual quest to empower the rural women of Sri Lanka with self-employment and one on one engage-ment opportunities with beauticians. Simi-lar programs were con-ducted previously in Embilipiti-ya, Polonnaruwa and Banadar-wela. The 2012 overall campaign attracted more than 7,500 aspir-ing rural beauticians.

At the workshop in Galle, the team together with it’s project partner The Professional Hair-dressers and Beauticians Associ-ation (PHABA), delivered knowl-edge and finer points about hair washing, hair styling, hair care &

treatment, skin care, beauty ther-apy and grooming with the sup-port of leading hairdressers and beauticians. As part of the work-shop, a bridal competition was held for up and coming beauti-cians. Out of the 35 participants,

the top three winners received scholarships from the prestigious Ramani Fernando Sunsilk Hair and Beauty Academy along with a certificate and trophy.

Commenting on the ‘pro-gramme, Hair Care Category Head Wathsala Aluthgedera said, “We take pride in touching the lives of talented entrepre-neurs in areas such as Embilip-itiya, Polonaruwa, Bandarawela

and Galle, where they face many geographical and financial limi-tations while trying to gain insight into the beauty indus-try”.

She added that all four work-shops have been successful in

paving the way for ambitious young women to embark on a rewarding career path filled with glamour and beauty.

In addition to the training sessions and demonstrations, the Sunsilk Hedaka-ri competition, under the guidance of experienced cho-reographer Rozanne

Diaz, was conducted for aspiring young girls to take on the ramp to showcase their beauty.

Talking about this experience one contestant said, “I am glad that some of us got this opportu-nity to showcase our talents and learn valuable tips from various specialists in the field of beauty care. This was a once in a life time opportunity for many of us”.

Glimpse of the Hedakari workshop in Galle

Hedakari in Galle

Stephanie Siriwardhana

For the eighth time in 11 years, TAG Heuer confirms its unrivaled mastery of extremely complex timepieces, receiving the prestigious and highly coveted ‘Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Geneve’ 2012 in the ‘Aiguille d’or’ category with the cutting-edge Mikrogirder. This is the first time the brand has been singled out as the best overall watch in all categories

In the article titled ‘Sewing success with intimate wear’ last week it was inadvertently stated that the amanté factory itself dishes over nine million bras per day. It should be nine million bras per annum and that amanté is positioned in India as number two in the modern trade. Their 425th store opened in Sri Lanka in partner with a leading local retail brand. The errors are regretted.

CorrectionFashion and

style were at the forefront as Odel unveiled their Christmas col-lection recently. Daily News pho-t o g r a p h e r S u l o c h a n a Gamage cap-tured these mod-els as they flaunted the attire on the ramp.

A glitzy Christmas