Triumphant three

Ruwini Jayawardana

Ever so often a Sri Lankan youth makes it beyond the local boundaries and does the country proud. Be it sports, arts or academic work, youngsters today have proven that they embody potentialities to excel in their subjects.

Yasith Dilshan, Nilukshi Amanda and Anuj Eranda beat the odds, to top the list in clinching the titles of Mr Sri Lanka and Best Male and Female Model of 2010 at the pageant which was choreographed by renowned designer Brian Kerkoven and sponsored by Vasana Danthanarayana's R & V Entertainments.

Yasith Dilshan Mr Sri Lanka

The 22-year-old entered the modeling due to Kamil Hewamanna's request early this year. He caught Brian Kerkoven's eye during a photo shoot and then joined his clan to engage in training to be a model.

"Though I had taken part in photo shoots and done a commercial. I walked on the ramp for the first time at the event. We were trained on how to hold our poise and the art to enhance and nurture our inner beauty. It is not so difficult once you get the hang of it," he said.

Yasith is a software engineer and had designed many websites for charity. He said that he had taken part in a number of stage plays with Koluu.

"I engaged in acting to get away from my monotonous lifestyle. Therefore I did not have any stage fright, once I took to the stage at the pageant. There were many models who were more experienced than me, but I was confident. I worked hard to achieve this title," he added.

He notes that Mr Sri Lanka is a takeoff point for him. It is a way for him to contribute to the society.

"I hope to project Sri Lanka as an island filled with natural beauty and resources and stress on our economic development. We are recovering from a three decades of terrorism. It is a hard earned victory," he noted on how he will present his country to the foreign arena.

A product of Royal College, Colombo, Dilshan had been on the school's rugby team and had even engaged in boxing. His ambition is to own his own software company.

Nilakshi Amanda Best Female model

She was gifted with charm, good looks from her school days. Standing 5.9 feet tall Amanda says that she derived a passion for the profession due to her family backdrop.

"I had tremendous support from my family. Rozanne Dias trained me and I have taken part in some of the most renowned fashion shows like the Colombo Fashion week, AOD, IIFA Fashion show and the LIFT fashion show," she said.

She had also taken to dancing a couple of years back. She was a part of Kapila Palihawadana's nATANDA dance ensemble. Modern ballet helped her to move gracefully.

She noted: "I love evening wear because the gowns go with my structure and height. There is glamour around the category. I have yearned to make it big in this field and now I feel that I have finally gotten there. My dream is to become a supermodel in the industry someday."

She is grateful to Brian Kerkoven, Dharshi of Salon Blonds and Stefan Andre Joachim for designing her wardrobe for her grand finals that will be held towards the end of the month.

Anuj Eranda Best Male model

Though his parents wished to see him pursue higher studies Anuj's passion for modeling led him to try his hand at the field. The attempt was a success as he had to looks, build and instincts to survive the test. He says that though he had been in the field the competition was a first for him.

"I was able to spot my weaknesses and work on improving them. Brian had a lot of advice to give and so did some of the other competitors who had more experience than me. It was basically teamwork," he said.

Anuj's brush with fame had been during his school days when he had appeared on a music video. He had appeared on screen in a song sung by a group named Side Effects.

"That was the first time I faced a camera. I had to woo a girl in that clip. The video was shot in 2006 and I had no problem acting my part," said the youth who had been studying IT for the last couple of years.

Winning the title of Best Male model is a boost to his career because he aims to make it big in the scene.

He says, "I really enjoyed taking part in the competition. There was a friendly and lively atmosphere among the contestants." His favourite moment was the casual wear segment where the youths had to pretend that they are mannequins come to life.

He wishes to thank his parents, Rasika, Vasana, Kamil and Brian for their support.