Sonia Dara: First Indian on the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue

"At first glance, the concept of a Hindu girl in Sports Illustrated might seem contradictory. With that in mind, I posed as elegantly as possible, in order to never undermine my Hindu upbringing. I really hope this is made clear in my photos," 20 year old Sonia Dara told the Wall Street Journal on becoming the first South Asian to be featured in the 2010 Swimsuit Calendar issue.

Why would they interview her? Because she's an Economics Major at Harvard.

The five feet eleven inch model from the Elite modelling stable was one of 20 women selected for the coveted annual Sports Illustrated campaign.

Here's how the Sports Illustrated website describes her: "Sonia, the daughter of Indian immigrants, was discovered at an AMTC event when she was 16. She has worked with clients such as Cosmo Girl, Seventeen, Neiman Marcus and Vogue India and is also a sophomore at Harvard College."

Read the full interview here, at The Wall Street Journal, or just get straight to the photo spread.