On a dazzling evening of pride and pageantry, on July 8th, Poojitha Kondabolu of New York State was crowned the first "D2R Creations - Miss Andhra Worldwide" in the glittering Grand Ballroom of the Chicago's Drury Lane Theater. Poojitha was a runaway winner. The senior high student from Dix Hills, New York also won other coveted titles Miss Talented and Miss Photogenic. Vyjayanthi Vadrevu of Kennilworth, IL was the 1st runner up and Haritha Bodduluri of Nashville, TN was the 2nd runner up. The most beautiful hair was won by Srilakshmi Korrapati of New Orleans, Louisiana while Miss Beautiful Smile was won by Manisha Bais of Oak Brook, Illinois.

The evening was unique in the annals of Andhra cultural programs in the United States. Among those who took the stage, or were honored, included Sindhura Gadde, Femina Miss India World 2005 and such doyens of Tollywood as actress Sulochana, singers Sushila, Jamuna Rani, Vijaya Lakshmi, Mano, Ghantasala Jr., and renowned cartoonist Mallik.

Addressing the contestants just before announcing the Final Five, Sindhura said, "I know exactly how you feel right now. I am sure a lot of thoughts are going through your minds. Am I going to get crowned or some other girl is going to get crowned? My advice to you is, forget all that. It doesn't matter any more. Just look at this experience as once in a lifetime experience that you will remember for ever, something that you learn from, something that you grow from. This Miss Andhra Worldwide will give you a good platform to do better in your lives. Cross your fingers, I wish you all the best of luck".

The contestants all got together two days before the event that was marked by camaraderie, making new friends while rehearsing for the pageant. Some of the contestants had previous honors to their credit. Roohi Najeemuddin was Miss India Midwest and Haritha Bodduluri was Miss ATA (American Telugu Association).

"The past few days have been great education for us, the organizers," said Padma Rao during her welcome address. "We learnt a lot from the thoughts and reflections of the contestants. Some of them offered profound insights and wisdom of who they see themselves as and their goals and aspirations and it was an inspiration to all of us. Seeing the contestants go through their chores and witnessing their professionalism first hand has been encouraging. Over the past few days, and in conversations over time, I have come to see how beautiful all the contestants are, both inward and outward. I am glad I don't have the difficult job of being a judge, and having to choose only one winner. And I thank all our judges here for shouldering this delicate responsibility"

Following the welcome address, Emcee Rupa Raju started the 17-part 4-hour show with the introduction of the judges, who were a diverse group of professionals hailing from the artistic, entertainment and diplomatic world. There was Mrs. Indira Kumar, wife of Hon. Consul General Arun Kumar, Diane Cheklich, an Indo-American cross over film producer and director, Sindhura Gadde, Meer Abdulla, a Telugu film actor and movie maker who co-produced the award winning Telugu film "Padamati Sandhya Ragam", and Mrs. Kripa Baskaran, who teaches Bharata Natyam at the University of Wisconsin. It was not an easy job to choose from the 15 equally beautiful, well-educated, and culturally-grounded contestants. Echoing that sentiment Meer Abdulla later said "I had to constantly watch myself not to lean in favor of any contestant and score each round objectively on who performed the best in that specific round".

What set the tenor of the evening was the formal introduction of the contestants. It was a swirl of colors punctuated by ethnic attires, but the one that caught the eye was Anusha Kambhampaty's pink and blue Ghagra. The choreography by Deepika Rao was at it's finest in the cris-crossing march, and the preparation made a complex routine look effortlessly smooth.

In between the five rounds that decided the ultimate winner, singer Vijayalakshmi regaled the audiences with memorable Telugu and Hindi bilingual tunes. The 3-part fashion show, choreographed by Ahmed Khan with make up by Sayeda Khan, of Eve's Beauty Salon was dazzling; especially the bridal costumes designed by Chunri, noted boutique in Lombard, IL.

In a message to the organizers, Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh said, "I hope that the Pageant, which is a unique and first-ever event being held for women of Andhra Pradesh origin on a worldwide level, would provide good opportunity to popularize various facets of Andhra Pradesh, its culture and people of its origin with the people of the world."

To be sure, the questions the judges posed and the answers from the contestants crystallized that sentiment and the underlying theme of pageant that the real Miss symbolizes not only good looks but also inward beauty. Diane Cheklich asked Poojitha, about how she would handle racism, a pertinent inquiry to an expatriate. Poojitha said "through teaching… because discrimination, prejudice and racism all stem from ignorance" which put her leaps ahead of other contestants.

Although the event was a Miss Andhra contest, the event drew a 600-strong crowd from different backgrounds within Indians as well as some local Americans.

"As I look back on how this show unfolded, what stood out most is how friends and strangers, from different regions and backgrounds supported this concept to make it a success," said Mrs. Rao. "We wouldn't be here without the generosity of sponsors like Air India, Raj Jewels, National BankCard Corporation and several other friends. There is no doubt, that this is an exclusive Miss Andhra beauty pageant. But, the sponsors and supporters are a mosaic of India's rich and diverse cultures."

While the pageant is for girls of Andhra Pradesh Origin, the show displayed the legacy of Andhra Pradesh as an intrinsic part of India's cultural whole, its beauty and rich heritage.

The pageant concluded with Sindhura crowning the winners, Mrs. Rita Motilal of Air India presenting the round trip business class ticket to Poojitha and several other sponsors presenting checks and Jewelry to the winners. The organizers have succeeded, without doubt, in making this debutant pageant, flow as smoothly and effortlessly as a seasoned event.