There are beauty pageants galore around the world today. There are Miss Such and Such Country…. then there is a Miss World, Miss Universe etc. India has had a fair share of many Beauty Queens, winners of such contests. But in many cases, one finds that these are women with a lot of verve, beauty and energy – but often plastic smiles and less than smart intelligence. I don’t want to belittle good looking women – of course this one, a Miss USA contestant, doesn’t help their cause much either – but smart and strong intelligent women aren’t the rule on the ramps.
But there was one Beauty Queen in 1966. Her name was Reita Faria. A Miss India who won the Miss World contest. Here she is in a video with Bob Hope entertaining US troops in Vietnam. Bob Hope was a smart guy.. witty and funny. At the end of the video, one feels that he met his match in this beautiful lady. Bummer she never thought of making a career in TV and Media.. she could have been one of the best TV anchors in her time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=2bJysQvmkaQ
[Update: the video is no longer available on YouTube.]