Hyderabad: It wasn’t your usual museum visit. On Thursday, the Miss World 2025 contestants found themselves in the heart of Hyderabad not in a ballroom or hotel lobby, but at Shilparamam’s Village Museum, getting their hands dirty with clay and color.
This wasn’t a photo-op parade. The women ditched their pageant polish for something a lot more down-to-earth. At the pottery wheel, they fumbled and laughed, trying to shape lumps of clay with the help of patient local artisans. A few feet away, others were painting fabrics with bold, traditional patterns. It was messy, lively, and completely unscripted.
Then came the Bathukamma songs soft at first, then swelling with rhythm. Without needing an invitation, the contestants joined in, dancing alongside women from local self-help groups. It didn’t feel like a show. No stage, no separation. Just people moving to the same beat in a dusty courtyard under the afternoon sun.
Minister Seethakka, who looks after Tribal Welfare and Women & Child Development, dropped by too. She spent time chatting with women running small stalls handwoven textiles, pickles, organic soaps each one telling its own story of hustle and heritage. She called the day a perfect mix of global faces and grassroots grit.
It was more than an excursion. It was an experience of how tradition meets transformation, and how women across the world, whether on global stages or in local markets, are shaping the future – together.
