QUOTE
She's not Indian enough?
http://www.divaasia.com/article/11152
DOES she look Indian enough to win New Zealand's Miss India contest?
Jacinta Lal, 21, was in the centre of a huge row when she was accused of not looking Indian.
Her detractors felt that there are hardly any Indian women who are blondes.
But Lal is not just blonde, she has blue eyes.
She was roundly booed when she won the Wellington leg of the Miss IndiaNZ contest recently.
Miss Lal said she cannot be blamed for having such features. Her father is Fijian-Indian and mother, a New Zealander.
Organisers later confirmed that there had been "two or three" complaints about her eligibility, the Daily Mail reported.
The row comes just days after the Indian government protested to New Zealand about alleged racial slurs by TV host Paul Henry against the chief minister of New Delhi Mrs Sheila Dik$hit.
Miss Lal told the New Zealand Herald she had heard what people have been saying about her.
She said: "...despite those small-minded people who made those comments, there were many Indians who encouraged me to enter.
"So just because some narrow-minded people make a comment like that, we can't assume that all Indians think the same way.
"There is no difference between what Paul Henry is saying and what those select few Indians were saying. They are all wrong..."
Organiser Dharmesh Parikh said that he also had complaints when she took part in the Miss IndiaNZ finals in Auckland in August and became one of two runners-up.
He said: "People said: 'Oh my God, look at this blonde girl coming to Miss India NZ.
What is she doing here'?
"Whoever these people are, they are a very small part of it. This event is called Miss IndiaNZ, with an N-Z, and I strongly emphasise that this event is not an Indian event, it is a Kiwi-Indian event.
"You must have New Zealand residency, New Zealand citizenship and you must have some sort of Indian background."
Beautiful Indian girl
He added: "It is a little bit sad. It is unfortunate for Jacinta as well. She should be accepted into the Indian world because she is a beautiful Indian girl."
New Zealand has been making news in India for the wrong reasons.
TV broadcaster Henry's offensive remark about Mrs Dik$hit prompted India to lodge a diplomatic protest. He had ridiculed her name on his show.
Mr Henry had also made on-air racial slurs against Indian-origin Governor-General Sir Anand Satyanand, questioning whether he was even a New Zealander.
He resigned last week.
http://www.divaasia.com/article/11152
DOES she look Indian enough to win New Zealand's Miss India contest?
Jacinta Lal, 21, was in the centre of a huge row when she was accused of not looking Indian.
Her detractors felt that there are hardly any Indian women who are blondes.
But Lal is not just blonde, she has blue eyes.
She was roundly booed when she won the Wellington leg of the Miss IndiaNZ contest recently.
Miss Lal said she cannot be blamed for having such features. Her father is Fijian-Indian and mother, a New Zealander.
Organisers later confirmed that there had been "two or three" complaints about her eligibility, the Daily Mail reported.
The row comes just days after the Indian government protested to New Zealand about alleged racial slurs by TV host Paul Henry against the chief minister of New Delhi Mrs Sheila Dik$hit.
Miss Lal told the New Zealand Herald she had heard what people have been saying about her.
She said: "...despite those small-minded people who made those comments, there were many Indians who encouraged me to enter.
"So just because some narrow-minded people make a comment like that, we can't assume that all Indians think the same way.
"There is no difference between what Paul Henry is saying and what those select few Indians were saying. They are all wrong..."
Organiser Dharmesh Parikh said that he also had complaints when she took part in the Miss IndiaNZ finals in Auckland in August and became one of two runners-up.
He said: "People said: 'Oh my God, look at this blonde girl coming to Miss India NZ.
What is she doing here'?
"Whoever these people are, they are a very small part of it. This event is called Miss IndiaNZ, with an N-Z, and I strongly emphasise that this event is not an Indian event, it is a Kiwi-Indian event.
"You must have New Zealand residency, New Zealand citizenship and you must have some sort of Indian background."
Beautiful Indian girl
He added: "It is a little bit sad. It is unfortunate for Jacinta as well. She should be accepted into the Indian world because she is a beautiful Indian girl."
New Zealand has been making news in India for the wrong reasons.
TV broadcaster Henry's offensive remark about Mrs Dik$hit prompted India to lodge a diplomatic protest. He had ridiculed her name on his show.
Mr Henry had also made on-air racial slurs against Indian-origin Governor-General Sir Anand Satyanand, questioning whether he was even a New Zealander.
He resigned last week.
see also
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article....jectid=10680175
