Goan model Zara Abraham nominated for Mrs Universe Earth

NEW DELHI: Model and upcoming Goan actress Zara Abraham has been nominated by a Mumbai jury to represent India at the Mrs Universe Earth (for Climate Change) – an international pageant to be held in Dubai later this year.

Representatives and participants from more than 120 nations including Afghanistan and Iran will be participating in the mega event to highlight the impact of Climate Change and Global Warming the world over.

There will be several sub-events and shows associated with the main event, to be held between October and November.

Co-incidentally, the day this announcement was made, Britain recorded the highest daytime temperature at 40C in decades and the warmest night ever, even as Europe reels under a major heat wave.

Besides the international pageant in December this year, there are country-wise and continent-wise pageants like Mrs India Climate Change and Mrs Asia Climate Change, which are being held in October and November this year, a representative for Rainbow Casting & Events, the event company handling the event said.

The 35-year-old aspiring actress who is also into fashion-related events in Goa since the last few years, has done several shoots and modeling assignments in the last two years.

She currently lives in Goa and was shortlisted from several participants nationwide after many rounds of elims, group discussion and other auditions.

Speaking to media persons on her selection and the global concerns about Climate Change, Zara (who uses her stage name) said, “I am thrilled to be selected to represent India this year. Climate extremes, such as droughts, floods, unseasonal rain, and extreme temperatures, can lead to crop losses and threaten the livelihoods of agricultural producers and the food security of communities worldwide. Depending on the crop and ecosystem, weeds, pests, mosquitoes and fungi can also thrive under warmer temperatures, wetter climates, and increased CO2 levels, and climate change will likely increase weeds and pests, thus threatening our very existence. It is very imperative that we take Global Warming very seriously and this pageant is not just a beauty event, but a worldwide movement to aggressively respond to Climate Change with urgent and immediate remedial measures.”