Model of the Fortnight
The report on Child Poverty that hit the headlines on December 7, 2017, occupying sections of our Homelink and Viewlink would be of immense interest to Ankita Sharma, our Model of the Fortnight.
Believing as she does that human beauty manifests itself on the uplift of the downtrodden, her humane approach deserves to be extolled and emulated.
A North Indian by origin, Ankita was born in Mumbai, but raised in the Cantonments of the Indian Air Force, where her father was a fighter pilot.
Inimitable qualities
A hero of many wars, including the Kargil engagement, the Pilot has instilled in his daughter inimitable qualities of dedication, perseverance, commitment and most important of all, an innate concern for the unfortunate.
That quality shines through Ankita, whose affable manners are a source of endearment for her select circle of friends and colleagues.
Her upbringing in varied vicissitudes has made her culturally agile and adaptive.
“I love meeting people from various ethnic backgrounds and Auckland provides the best setting,” she said.
Shining Volunteer
Ankita has been involved in several volunteer roles since her school days; these have varied from teaching poor children in their early years and managing differently-abled teenagers to holding quiz contests for expatriates.
Arriving in New Zealand to pursue her graduate course (BSc) with Physics as the major subject, Ankita became a software tester by profession and a Group Consul at InterNations, a global network of expatriates – in the case of New Zealand, ethnic groups.
She is also a member of ‘Happy Auckland’ community, at which she collaborates with like-minded people to make Auckland a happier place.
Intellectual stimulation
Beyond fashion, theatre, dancing and singing, Ankita is adept at intellectual topics, metaphysics, arts and theatre.
A voracious reader and an equally passionate writer, her piece of work has been published in the USA through writing workshops.
Her other hobbies include traveling, sports, cooking, baking.
Her cultural engagements have included dancing for the ‘Summer Funk’ of Shiamak Davar, renowned as the ‘Guru of Contemporary Dance’ in India. She has also performed in English, Bengali and Hindi plays and presented solo and classical group dances at the National Council for Performing Arts, Mumbai.
-Venkat Raman
Pictures by Ronny Kumaran
If you wish to be featured as our ‘Model of the Fortnight,’ please write to editor@indiannewslink.co.nz
