BANGALORE: “People are constantly looking at me. What if I fall on stage?” was Nicole’s fear when she was 16. But, when she first walked the ramp she instantly fell in love with modelling and since then never looked back. Just back from Vietnam where the tenth Miss Earth pageant was held, Bangalore girl Nicole Faria competed against eighty three countries to be crowned the first ever Miss Earth from India. As any other kid, Nicole dreamt of becoming a celebrity.
“I wanted to get into acting as a kid and modelling was the first step towards it”, says Nicole, after winning the crown for Miss Earth. The 20-year-old says that she never expected Miss India to happen in the first place. It was Ian Faria, her dad who encouraged her to give it a try. “My dad asked me to go ahead and apply. And I won Miss India Earth to represent our country, I decided that one needs to really try out things in order to make it happen,” says an excited Nicole.
Along with the glamour that the crown brings with it, Nicole is grounded and realises that there is a huge responsibility as well.
“It is a huge responsibility for me. I need to make the right use of the title given to me. I want to do a lot for the environment. My journey has just begun. There are so many elements that are polluting our environment. The repercussions of which is seen through global warming. So my top priority is to educate people about the environment and contribute in the best possible way to protect it,” says an optimistic Nicole.
When asked about the experience she has had while competing at an international level, she gets excited and cheery.
“It felt amazing. it was my first ever experience abroad. There were so many beautiful girls from different countries, cultures, speaking different languages etc. I felt a sense of belongingness. Along with the organisers, people of Vietnam are so warm and wonderful. I can’t put it in words. But it was an experience of a lifetime something that I would cherish forever."
Standing tall at 5 ft 9 1/2 inches with oodles of oomph and confidence, Nicole for now wants to enjoy her crown and celebrate with friends and family, although her future plan is to enter Bollywood.
“I want to take one step at a time. I will probably enter Bollywood when the time is right. But for now I am happy with my achievement.”