by Subhash K Jha

The common cold that Shilpa is currently suffering from in London doesn't jell well with her uncommon performance for the Commonwealth Day on Monday.

Shilpa is upbeat. "Only four other participants were given a chance to give individual speeches. There was a woman Anne from Ireland whose brother and sister had been shot...people whose trauma made a difference to global politics.

Since I belong to the Commonwealth issues that concern me—namely AIDS and racism --got a platform on Commonwealth Day. These are issues that I've become synonymous with. I come from a place where AIDS and discrimination often go hand in hand. So I was able to couple the two topics in two paragraphs. It was tough.

But what was tougher was to give that speech in front of the Queen. I had to give the speech exactly the way it was written. But I added a line. And it was pretty well accepted. So I am pretty proud of myself."

Shilpa confesses she's basically shy. "I completely clam up in front of outsiders. But now I can't afford the luxury of introversion. To stand on a global platform like the Commonwealth is not an easy task.

There we were, dealing with serious issues like peace democracy, equality. And I've to conduct myself in a very responsible manner. But to see the pride on faces of the Indian community took the nervousness out of me."