Milinda brings pride to Sri Lanka

Mr Water 2011 for Mr Earth 2011:

Demi HEWAMANNA

Anthony Milinda De Silva Wickramasinghe in short known as Mili brought a great honour and pride to the nation when he was awarded the title of Mr. Water and third runner up at the Mr. Earth 2011 pageant held in Guatemala last month.

He was the ‘chosen one’ to represent Sri Lanka by the National Director for Sri Lanka Mr. Earth 2011 Prassanna Pathmanathan – a name that is very familiar among everyone.

Mili is a guy who did not come straight from the fashion industry and he has never modeled before and all this has been like luck for him. Also this is not the first time he has represented Sri Lanka. He is represented Sri Lanka through swimming and he had captained the national squad in several occasions at the 2006 SAF games, World Swimming Championships in Montreal Canada, Commonwealth games in Australia and Asian games in Doha.

Prassanna chose Milinda because he saw great potential in him – not only in height or looks but his personality and knowledge as well. Milinda is a Honour student at Monash University in Melbourne Australia and is reading for his Bachelors in Economics and Management and an environmentalist doing his duty in many green projects. Prassanna being the National Director did a very excellent job when the judging time came to judge all the contestants and when the time came to give the marks – as a mark of showing that that he did no favouring to Sri Lanka, he tallied the marks with the other judges and got an average score and gave to Milinda.

Prassanna speaking to ZEST told that, many people didn’t encourage him in taking Milinda and no one supported his idea and really brought a negative feeling towards his choice. Here we get to know more about Mili and his experience in Guatemala.

1. Did you ever want to model or be a model?
NO. I’ve been a part of a photo-shot once, but never thought of being a model.

2. How did you get this opportunity to represent Sri Lanka

I had a photo-shoot some time ago with Ms. NadeekaPerera. And during my recent vacation in Sri Lanka, I met Mr. PrasannaPathmanadan through NadeekaPerera. Prasanna was invited to be a judge at the Mister Earth 2011 Worlwide Pageant. Prasanna requested me to submit an application with my CV and a few photos.

3. Going to Guatemala...what was your experience there?

The experience was amazing! It was great meeting and mingling with contestants from different countries and making friends. Although I have traveled to many continents before, it was my first time in a Central American country. It was a great opportunity to experience Guatemala and its culture, and to see some ruins from the old Mayan civilization. Almost everyone spoke Spanish and it was a bit difficult to communicate. But people were very friendly and I was able to make some good friends.

4. To win the title Mr. Earth 2011...what did a contestant need?

Contestants needed to be well-rounded. Apart from having just a handsome face and a good physique, participants needed to possess outstanding personality, good social and communication skills and be of good moral character. Contestants also had to show high intellect and be conscious and involved in preserving the environment.

5. What are the projects you participated in, places you visited?

We visited the Guatemala City zoo, a forest near Guatemala City and a recycling plant.

We were involved in planting trees to increase forest cover and we were made aware of the recycling process. To me the highlight was to witness how a poor country, with a higher poverty level than of Sri Lanka, has invested in recycling and their dedication towards the preservation of the environment. We also had TV interviews, conferences, and charity events.

6. What was your reaction when your name was called in?

I was totally surprised. I never expected to win the Mister Water Title. But I was happy to bring such honour to the country.

7. Can you tell me about your school and education life.

I am an old boy of St. Joseph’s College in Colombo. I studied their till my A/L and left for Monash University soon afterwards.

I graduated from Monash University with a bachelor’s degree in management and economics. I am currently reading for honours at the same university in Melbourne, Australia. At Monash, I took part in an internship concerning environment sustainability.

8. Tell me about your family...

I have been blessed to have an awesome family. I have extremely loving and supportive parents. I am the younger one and the joker (so they say)in the family.

I have an older sister. I became an uncle recently and am really enjoying it!

9. Who backed you in all these
…my family.

Thankful to…God, my parents and sister.

I want also to thank my friend NadeekaPerera for introducing PrasannaPathmanadan to me.

I really appreciate the guidance and support to given to me by Prasanna. I am grateful to RoshanRanawana for helping me with the catwalk, Rozanne Dias for getting me in touch with the right contacts, Jeeshan of Steal Blue for being kind enough to sponsor me with his trendy clothes, Mr. Guruge of Pettah Tailors for sponsoring me with a classy suit, DarshiKeerthisena of Buddi Batiks for providing unique designer wear, Shane for doing a fabulous job with the fantasy

Milinda

costume, Kamal’s Studio, SanjeewaBatuwatta, Mr. David Cruse for supporting me all the way from Australia and all the well-wishers, family and friends.