Meeting the rich and famous becomes a routine after a while they all seem to run around their own lives and their own goals or their own political chakars.

It's a rare thing to meet someone who is really genuine and still not boarded up by barriers and walls and you can see that what ever they are saying or doing is for real and not a put up job.

Meeting Priyanka Chopra the Miss world 2000 was just that, a new experience.It was a pure coincidence that I was able to get through to Priyanka and it was nothing less than a delight and a pleasure to meet not just Priyanka but her Mum and Dad too.

I had tickets to go to the Miss world competition but I did not make it to the venue because
I was too tired on a dull and freezing cold evening in London and instead I decided to stick around in front of the telly.

When the competition started I was dozing off but some of the competitors were rather stunning so I had to sit up and watch it and when Priyanka came to stage I knew it straight away that she was going to win it. And when she spoke there was no doubt left in my mind that there is no one better with such a beautiful mixture of looks and personality.

Some of the other competitors looked as stunning if not better but as soon as they opened their
mouths personalities halved straight away and it was obvious that they did not have what Priyanka had to offer, Apart from stunning looks and the warmth of personality, natural openness and confidence.

Once she was declared the Miss World 2000 I knew it would be impossible to get hold of her for an interview and so it was but when its meant to be it happens.A friend rang me out of the blue and said he was in town and was having dinner with some friends of his who were in town from India and if I cared to join him he would be delighted and when it comes to Desi food there is no one more delighted than me and there I was in the restaurant promptly or almost promptly.
I was a little late (by hour and a half) but when I got to the restaurant there she was sitting in all her glory not realising how important she had become and she was eating Rotti, The first thing I said to her was "Hey you should not be eating Rotti you are made for more important tasks and leave the eating to us"

Everyone around the table just burst out laughing and that was my introduction to the most beautiful girl of the world. The dinner went on for a while as all of the people sitting there took dining
seriously and they were very keen to try everything on the menu and It was all just up my street and an interview with Priyanka or no interview seemed less important right now than lovely chicken
tikka masalla with tandori rotties

Priyanka's Parents who looked more like her brother and sister turned out to be exactly like
Lahories and enjoyed the food immensely and they knew what eating good food was all about and
they both said it was their dream to come to Lahore and sample the world famous food and also
enjoy the love Lahore offers to its guests. Priyanka had to butt in here and said you are not going to Lahore without me" I love Lahore more than you do" and a family squabble followed here
where they were all trying to out do each other by showing more knowledge and love for Lahore than me can you imagine that …...

It transpired eventually that Priyanka's love for Lahore was biased, as she loved the shalwaar kameez more than she loved anything else and there is no better place in the world for Shalwar kameez than my hometown Lahore.

I promised her that when she comes to Lahore she will be my guest so an advance warning to all my friends in Lahore to get your houses in shape as we are coming.

Eventually the dinner came to an End and we had to say good bye but I was able to introduce the Asian Out look to Priyanka and her family and Priyanka said she already knows the Asian out look and be happy to talk to me for the magazine and eventually we met up and a slotted interview of 15 minutes ended up being a family affair and lasted 3 hours.

I cannot believe it that these people are not from Lahore if not in this life they must have lived there in some previous life, as they are as loving, friendly, warm and open hearted as Lahories.

I had few questions to ask Priyanka but never needed to refer to them as the conversation just flowed.

Shahid : Priyanka do you feel any different after winning the Miss World title?

Priyanka : No not at all my parents have taught me to value the real things in life and titles are just the tools of life people are the real things and I feel the same as when I entered the competition.

My reasons for taking part was not to win but to participate and make the most of it, but now I have won the title I am going to make the most of it and will do what ever I can to make this world a better place. If only every one of us did a little more there would be a lot less suffering in this world than there is today.

Shahid : What sort of preparations did you undertake to enter Miss World?

Priyanka : It was a long, hard road that started many months ago and my Mom and Dad
and many other friends under took a lot of hard work. My parents brought in love and warmth, little brother, Sophistication, Knowledge, unleashed Positive criticism and Sabrina Merchant brought in confidence. Sabrina Merchant taught me to speak from my heart and be articulate and be confident and you could win anything in this world and I feel my wining is really a win for Sabrina Merchant as I reflected her thoughts in many a steps I performed. Sabrina taught me with all her heart and I turned out to be a receptive student so I think a lot of credit goes to Sabrina Merchant.

Shahid : Who was your inspiration?

Priyanka : Without a doubt all the inspirational credit goes to my Mom who stood by me through all the hard work and inspired me through thick and thin and who was behind my Mom's dedication? My Dad. He was there for us like a pillar of strength he is the one who taught me to be kind and share happiness with others my Dad has always said that if your share your happiness
with others it multiplies he was the one who first introduced me to children's charity with which I work all the time and would not give that up for anything in the world.

Shahid : Where did you learn to speak Urdu so beautifully? (Interviews was conducted in Urdu where I kept on mixing English words but Priyanka never faltered)

Priyanka : All our family is in love with Urdu my Mom and Dad have always taught me Urdu and my Dad recites naat and Qawalies at the Durbar of Pir Sahib here in Bareilly. Mom and Dad not only speak but also read and write Urdu too. There is no other language as sweet and as meaningful and expressive as Urdu.

Shahid : What do you have to say to the young people of the world?

Priyanka : Young people are the real future of the world I would say to them to share happiness in this world, as life is too short not to make the most of it. Also there is nothing you cannot achieve with hard work, dedication and 100 percent commitment.

Shahid : Would you like to visit Pakistan?

Priyanka : Yes I would love to visit Pakistan I love to be with the people of Pakistan one thing I would be working towards also is to promote peace and harmony between the people of India and
Pakistan.

Its so heartening that while I was getting ready to enter the competition for Miss world in London I must have had literary 100's of phone calls from Pakistanis living in the UK supporting and encouraging me I was so overwhelmed by the love and affection shown to me by Pakistani FriendS while I was in London.

I also received numerous letters e-mails and messages of support from Pakistan that I truly feel that nothing can stop the people of India and Pakistan becoming friends in the very near future. I am no politician but I cannot understand that people of both countries have so much love for each other than why we cannot overcome obstacles and be friends, which we really should be. I love to go to Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Quetta Multan and all the other cities from where I received messages of support. My Dad has a particular interest in Multan as he is a devoted fan of Sufism and loves the Kalam of Sufi's.

My major interest is the young people of Pakistan sometimes I want to shout at the top of my
voice to young ones and say stop we have so much to give to each other but all we seem to
give to each other is pain and suffering. Let's stop the suffering and atrocities and be friends and make this is a better place for our generations to come. I would love to meet Najam Sethi, Asma Jahangir, Mulana Edhi, General Musharaf and of course Junaid Jamshid and Junoon And love to go the durbar of Imam Sakhi.