Dusheni crowned amidst rain of confetti
Last year’s Miss World Sri Lanka Amritaa De Silva crowns Dusheni and left: The top five: (L-r) Wasana Gunasekara, Madara Marasinghe, Dusheni Silva, Harini Silva and Hirushi Jayasena. Pix by Indika Handuwala
It was an elegant and tense finish to over two months of intense preparation and amidst all the pageantry, the new Siyatha Miss World Sri Lanka was revealed on September 18 at the Hilton Grand Ballroom. Confetti rained down as Dusheni Silva was crowned, and she was all smiles as she hugged the other runners up: 1st runner-up Hirushi Jayasena, 2nd runner-up Harini Silva, 3rd runner-up Madara Marasinghe, and 4th runner- up Wasana Gunasekara.
The organisers from Model Shop in association with Kiss Fm and Siyatha TV had invited 2016 Miss World Thailand Jinnita Buddee, 2016 Miss World Myanmar Myat Thiri Lwin, 2016 Miss World Vietnam Truong Thi Dieu Ngoc, 2016 Miss World Philippines Catriona Gray and 2016 Miss World India Priyadarshini Chatterjee for the show and the international beauty queens made a memorable catwalk appearance to the delight of the crowd.
Also present were former Miss World Sri Lanka winners – 2013 winner Iresha Asanki De Silva, 2014 Miss World Sri Lanka Chulakshi Ranathunga, Thilini Amarasooriya who represented the country at the 2015 Miss World pageant in China and last year’s Miss World Sri Lanka Amritaa De Silva.
The ceremony opened with a welcome performance by the Channa-Upuli dance troupe, choreographed by Channa Wijewardena himself aptly titled “Sooriya Namaskara” (Sun Worship). The audience were then witness to the first model presentation of the evening by veteran designer/ choreographer Senaka De Silva.
The contestants in Eric Suriyasena batik two pieces, with strings of pearls and beads, hair cascading down their backs and a flower tucked behind their ears sashayed onto the stage to Latha Walpola’s “Peradiga muthu atayai me”.
The 13 contestants were formally introduced to the judges in the following order; Sanduni Greasman, Hirushi Jayasena, Madara Marasinghe, Reem Raveena, Ishini Fonseka, Thashmila Peiris, Minelle Perera, Shalindini Wandana, Dusheni Silva, Sanjana Hewage, Wasana Gunasekara, Govindi Aishvarya and Harini Silva.
The judges were silver screen star Malini Fonseka, General Manager at Hilton Colombo Manesh Fernando, the Turkish ambassador to Sri Lanka Büyükelçi Tunca Özçuhadar, Sonia Adlakha, and beauty and hair expert Ramani Fernando.
The second segment of the ceremony saw the contestants in evening gowns designed and styled by Charith Wijesekera and Elly Creations with hair and makeup by Ramani Fernando salon.
As the night wore on a silence fell over the crowd as the top eight contestants were announced: Dusheni, Harini, Hirushi, Madara, Shalindini, Govindi, Wasana and Sanjana.
As the excitement built up, the entertainment continued with performances by the Channa-Upuli dancers and the ever popular Bathiya and Santhush, and finally Miss World Sri Lanka 2016 Amritaa emerged onto the stage to crown the new Miss Sri Lanka with the glittering crown (estimated to be worth Rs. 19 Million).
The new Siyatha Miss World Sri Lanka will represent Sri Lanka at the Miss World 2017 pageant to be held on November 18, in China.
| Never give up on your dreams | |
 Dusheni Miyurangi De Silva, the winner of the Siyatha Miss World Sri Lanka 2017, is no newcomer to the world of pageantry. Having previously competed in the 2016 Miss World Sri Lanka, where she was placed 4th runner-up also winning the “Face of the Year” mini pageant, the 22-year-old has been working hard this year for the crown.Born in Matara and raised in Kurunegala, Dusheni is an AAT (Association of Accounting Technicians) graduate currently pursuing her CIMA studies at the Achievers Lanka Business School.An actress and freelance model by profession, Dusheni is an ambitious dreamer. Speaking to the Sunday Times the newly crowned Miss World Sri Lanka said, “There may be some who stop at Miss Sri Lanka, but I am equally passionate about Miss World.” She exclaims “Miss World was one of my biggest dreams!” firmly stating that the regal Blue Crown “is my final goal.”Undergoing the two months of rigorous training was never easy as she confesses that she put her life on hold rejecting job offers so that she could fully concentrate on her preparations for Miss Sri Lanka. “I lost once,” Dusheni humbly shares “I know how to accept defeat and victory with dignity.” To future contestants Dusheni encourages them with “Never give up. If you have the passion, love and commitment for something you can achieve anything.” As suggested by the Miss World tag line “Beauty with a Purpose”, the contestants were asked to come up with a community service project that would have a positive impact on society. Dusheni who chose a dengue eradication awareness programme is keen on educating the public and hopes to make international audiences see the plight of Sri Lanka’s dengue situation whilst conveying the message of her project. |
| Mini pageant winners | |
 Second runner-up Harini Silva with her mini title The winners of the mini pageants conducted over the past two months were announced during the show: |
Glamour off stage: Guests at the event
