Besides the cricket tournament and the lively cultural stands, the recent staff party saw another contest.

Our team members got the opportunity to bring out their talent, beauty and present their cultural identities in the Miss & Mister Kuredu contest.

What the contest lacked in worldwide media coverage and glamour, it certainly made up for with the contestants’ excellent performances and a sense of achievement after receiving a standing ovation by everyone who attended the show.

This year, we learned exactly how much of a shift took place in the ladies entering the competition compared to the first event last year. For a young lady to enter and perform in front of a big crowd takes a huge amount of confidence. On the rehearsal night, some of them were nearly petrified at the thought of putting their talents on display, but as soon as they overcame the butterflies in their bellies and the jitters, all that was left was a feeling of empowerment and gratification.

The competition had three rounds: one in sportswear where we could also learn a bit more about each contestant, the second one was talent based, and in the last round, the contestants dressed up in garments, expressing their national allegiance.

The adorable and talented Raya from Duniye Spa was crowned as Miss Kuredu and the very famous Kuredu smile, Island Host Aruna, walked away with the title of Mister Kuredu.

The remaining 12 contestants achieved a huge personal milestone and gained a lot of confidence and inner strength that you can only get by challenging yourself to new heights.

We may live on a small island, but we are sure that the beauty, the talent and the positive personality traits of our team echo far across the Indian Ocean!