Date:02/11/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/11/02/stories/2006110219410400.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Bangalore is a beautiful city, says Miss Universe

Special Correspondent

Zuleyka Rivera is in city as part of her AIDS awareness tour

Zuleyka Rivera. — Photo: K. Gopinathan

Bangalore: Miss Universe Zuleyka Rivera thinks Bangalore is beautiful and the people of India "cheerful, warm and hospitable."

In Bangalore on Wednesday as part of her AIDS awareness tour, the 19-year-old Puerto Rican beauty recalled her visits to persons with HIV/AIDS in hospitals at Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai she had earlier visited.

"I found that many of the older infected persons were not aware of the risks of getting HIV, but now even those aged 15 or a bit older are more aware. I was moved by those living with HIV/AIDS... even a smile means a lot to them," Ms. Rivera said.

Will she continue supporting the campaign even after handing over the crown to a successor next year? "I will. Of course I will have to get into a career then, mature and grow and care for other people even more."

The Miss Universe was here to plug in the Sanjana Jon fashion show to be held on November 5; the 14 top models from New York who will participate were present with her. The fashion show will be at the Grand Ashok. The New York- based fashion designer and AIDS campaigner of Indian origin is bringing her show to India for the third year and is impressed by the way AIDS prevention work has progressed but wants more done. "I do not want India go the way of South Africa. We can only visit a few cities, you in the media can reach thousands in every town and village and spread the message," she said.

At the AIDS awareness tour events in other cities, Bollywood celebrities and stars of Tamil movies came to show their support and she anticipated the same gesture from the Kannada film world too.

Earlier, Ms. Rivera, who greeted the media with a "namaskara,"' said her first visit to India had shown the geographic and cultural variety of the country. The culture of her country was different but the people were similar in many ways. Lapsing periodically into her native Spanish and being translated she said she was supporting the campaign because awareness about the disease should be strongly built among young persons of her generation if its spread was to be controlled.