The ceasefire announcement by the US on Saturday came as a reprieve for the Revanth Reddy-led Congress government, which was earning considerable flak for holding the Miss World pageant in the middle of the escalating tension between India and Pakistan. The ceasefire announcement came just before the inaugural ceremony of the 72nd edition of the Miss World pageant. The Chief Minister, who was expected to grace the ceremony, was missing in the first part of the ceremony but joined in later to declare the pageant open.

The cash-strapped Telangana government hopes to ride on the hype surrounding the pageant and showcase the state’s tourism potential, which has been a neglected sector since the formation of the state in 2014. Although far away from the battleground between the two neighbours, the Telangana government felt the heat as the Opposition parties, particularly the BRS, criticised the government for continuing with the pageant even though the IPL had been suspended.

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The VHP was upset with the presence of Turkey and Bangladesh, although Pakistan was absent. The government and the Congress kept on reiterating that the decision to cancel the event would have to be taken by the Miss World organisers, and the state government was just a facilitator. However, the threat of war weighed heavily on the event before the inauguration. This, despite the solidarity rally led by the Chief Minister with representatives of the armed forces beside him and his pledge to donate a month’s salary to the National Defence Fund.

However, Reddy and his entire administration breathed a sigh of relief when US President Donald Trump announced the ceasefire between India and Pakistan just before the inauguration of the pageant at the Gachibowli stadium. The itinerary of the inaugural programme had mentioned that the Chief Minister would be present, but he was not in sight when the inauguration began with the state song “Jaya Jaya He Telangana.” The state, keen to showcase its tribal heritage, had lined up colourful dances of various tribes, and the contestants in their vivid national outfits put up a spectacular show.

Top officials, including the Chief Secretary, the DGP and the mayor, were present at the dais along with Julia Morley, the CEO of Miss World. Midway through the programme, Reddy arrived with Tourism Minister Jupally Krishna Rao to declare the pageant open. The relief felt by the administration after the declaration of ceasefire was palpable in the words of Tourism Secretary Jayesh Ranjan, who spoke eloquently on the significance of peace in his short address. He reminded the gathering how “fragile” peace was and called on the participants to be “ambassadors of peace”, even as he urged them to promote tourism in Telangana.

The organisers paid tribute to the brave soldiers standing at the border, and when reigning Miss India Nandini Gupta made a solo entry with the Indian tricolour, the audience erupted with applause and cries of “Bharat Mata ki Jai!” after the national anthem. It was indicative of the grim mood of the public in the middle of a spectacle, even though Revanth Reddy and his government may have dodged the proverbial bullet by a whisker.