EDITOR'S
NOTE
Beauty
and Brains
Beauty
Pageants. The word conjures up different
images for different people, particularly
along gender lines. Women often
view them with disdain, especially
those of the more feminist bent,
while most men have a fascination
for them. Yet what about desi beauty
pageants, specifically Indian American
beauty pageants?
They’ve
been around since the 1970s (believe
it or not, but I was one of the
judges for the very first contest
held in Northern California a couple
of decades ago), and recently, the
first global NRI pageant took place.
We at Indian Life & Style were
curious about the gradual proliferation
of these contests in our community.
What is it that keeps the organizers
coming back year after year to put
on these pageants, what draws the
participants, and what attracts
the crowds? We decided to go backstage
and back in time to learn more.
Our cover story, “Beautiful
People,” provides an intriguing
look at this growing phenomenon
in the Indian American community.
While
beauty and brains go together in
our Indian American pageants, the
same can be said for Imran Khan,
that all-time great cricketer from
Pakistan and now budding politician.
Visiting the San Francisco Bay Area
for a fundraiser, we were lucky
to catch “The Khan of Our
Times” off stump for a one-on-one
regarding his exciting and demanding
political career.
As
the number of foreign students on
U.S. campuses rises each year, as
well as the presence of Indian American
students, how do they cope with
their increasingly ethnic surroundings?
Living in close quarters with colleagues
from around the world certainly
presents challenges beyond the usual
jitters one experiences leaving
home for the first time. “Melting
Pot or Salad Bowl” examines
the interactions of these young
adults in their new, unfamiliar
environs.
What
does it take to be a philanthropist?
Besides money and a big heart? In
the case of Los Angeles businessman
Uka Solanki, it takes a passion
for education. With his grandmother’s
influence always guiding him, the
award-winning entrepreneur says
it’s “some kind of chemistry
you’re born with. Somehow
it has become natural to me to help
others.” Scholarship, it seems,
is at the “Heart of the Empire”
for this Big Saver Foods baron.
And
that is something we can all relate
to. Education has always been stressed
in our Indian American community,
and is without a doubt one of the
keys to our success. Here’s
to new challenges, new promises,
and new horizons in the New Year!
