Miss Universe's misadventure with Chennai media

Chennai, Oct 31 (UNI) She came, she saw, but she did not exactly conquer.

The newly crowned Miss Universe, 18-year-old Zuleyka Rivera, arrived more than an hour late and rubbed the posse of photographers and TV camerapersons on the wrong side.

As the lensmen started clicking away merrily, her entourage headed by the company agent strongly objected to them 'shooting continuously'. As Rivera turned away from the flashbulbs and showed her back to them, the lensmen urged her ''madam, madam''.

The head of her entourage asked the lensmen to ''go back. She will turn'' even as the lensmen kept on. As the disappointed photographers and TV cameramen argued that it was improper of the organisers to stop them from doing their work, they told them ''she doesn't want pictures to be taken''.

The proverbial last straw on the camel's back was when the head of the entourage said '' I brought her to Chennai where I myself grew up, as I wanted her to know about the warmth and loving nature of the people here. But if you behave like this, we will be disappointed.'' The photographers as well as the print media strongly objected to this.

Things slowly settled down and Rivera from Puerto Rico, speaking in English and Spanish-translated into English, as though pacifying the mediapersons, said ''thank you for being here. It's important to have you here. You create the impact in the society about every issue. That's why it's important for us to have you here.'' UNI VV AA SI HT1650