Arnitha Damparala was the only contestant from India in the recently concluded Miss Polo International held in Dubai. After completing her B.Tech in Computer Science from Hyderabad, Arnitha got selected for the pageant, for which she had to specially learn horse riding.
“The concept behind this pageant is uniting the world through beauty and sports, so I decided to go for it,” shares Arnitha, who adds, “Although I was always interested in horse riding, I had never taken it up. But it was mandatory for this pageant, so I trained in it for two months.”
Started just last year, the Miss Polo International pageant is a platform that aims at forging greater unity in the world by crowning a young dynamic lady ambassador, who is then expected to carry out charitable acts towards improving education globally. “Interestingly, there is no bikini round in this pageant,” shares Arnitha, who reveals a secret too. “We all posed on the horses as if we were playing polo, but we didn’t actually play it. But I know the game and may take it up in the near future,” says the dynamic youngster, who not only earned a certificate of appreciation from United Nations Statistics Officials but also one from the Dubai Government for her work towards the underprivileged children in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
“My mother works as a teacher in a ZPH School in Telangana, so I know how difficult it is for poor kids to get an education,” says Arnitha, who reveals that she tried to help in her own way. “I used to help them by giving clothes, books, pens and pencils,” she shares.
Later, she joined the Digital India Group, and visited many schools in Telangana and Andhra to conduct a study on education and understand why it is not reaching many poor people.
“While we have many resources, there is a dearth of teachers in many schools,” says Arnitha, adding that this study in education earned her the UN certificate. “The United Nations certificate actually helped me enter the pageant,” says Arnitha, who got selected on the basis of her charitable works.
Describing the Miss Polo International pageant, she explains, “There were nearly 30 contestants from different countries and it was a great experience despite the fact that I didn’t win. I was the only person representing India, which was a proud moment for me,” she says, adding that she will soon be going abroad for her higher studies. Ask Arnitha if she has received any film offers and she replies, “Yes, I am getting offers from Tollywood, but I don’t want to take up acting as my career. It is a very short stint and it all depends on a film’s success. Instead, I want to pursue my higher studies and settle for a long career.”
