MUMBAI // Shweta Katti grew up in a brothel in the Kamathipura red light district of Mumbai, a victim of sexual abuse. Glamorous fashion shows were beyond her imagining.
But tonight Ms Katti, 22, will indeed take to the catwalk, modelling for designer Mandeep Nagi at the Lakmé Fashion Week in Mumbai. The event is one of the biggest on India’s fashion calendar, attended by Bollywood celebrities and leading fashionistas.
Ms Katti is one of eight young women, aged between 18 and 22, who have been rescued from Mumbai’s red light areas and brought to the catwalk by Kranti, an NGO.
“Of course I’m really looking forward to the show,” she said. “I can’t wait to be on the ramp. I think it’s interesting that they are welcoming people from different communities in the fashion show and hopefully that will help change the perspective.”
Though Ms Katti’s mother worked in a factory, they lived with sex workers and Ms Katti says she was as young as six or seven when male customers began abusing her. She was 17 when she heard about Kranti and sought help.
Kranti, which means “revolution” in Hindi, was founded by Robin Chaurasiya six years ago. Though her family is from India, she was born and grew up in the United States, serving in the US military as an air force lieutenant before moving to Mumbai to start Kranti.
The organisation provides housing, therapy, and education to women and girls who are the daughters of sex workers or have been trafficked into sex work as children. In some cases, their mothers have died after contracting HIV.
The idea of the fashion show came about when Ms Chaurasiya met Mandeep Nagi through a mutual friend. Together they hit upon the notion that turning the women into models would be the perfect way to boost their confidence and highlight Kranti’s cause.
Some of the women were apprehensive.
“Then they met Mandeep and they got the idea of what it was going to be and about Mandeep’s clothing line and then they got really, really excited,” said Ms Chaurasiya, 31. “They’ve been having a blast rehearsing. It’s been hard work.”
Some of the women received curious looks at rehearsals because they do not have typical model looks – which is to say they are not all tall and fair-skinned, aesthetics perceived as more beautiful in India. The Kranti women are dark-skinned. Some have scars from the physical abuse they suffered or from self-harming. One of the women participating in the show was trafficked into sex work at the age of nine and has suffered mental health issues because of her difficult childhood.
“They’re a bit of a misfit in the whole crowd but they are really enjoying interacting with different people and talking to the models,” said Ms Chaurasiya.
As well as boosting their self-esteem, Ms Chaurasiya hopes to show there is more to women than their skin tone.
“There’s a lot of stigma. You don’t see dark-skinned girls as models and in advertising,” she said. “It’s a very discriminatory world.”
This is not the first time that Ms Nagi, who is the design director at textile label Shades of India, has given underprivileged women the chance to bask in the limelight wearing her designs. Last year, she recruited a housemaid from her neighbourhood to model her collection in a photo shoot.
“I don’t guarantee any major changes, but what I do want to contribute is opening the doors,” she said. “I’m hoping it will be an opportunity for Kranti to reach out to the maximum number of people. That’s the outcome I’m looking forward to. I don’t care how I benefit or if sales go up.”
The women will model a fusion of Indian and Western styles in a summer collection made of handwoven fabrics and hand embroidered in vintage designs.
A key theme of Lakmé Fashion Week this season is diversity and inclusivity. So among those strutting the catwalk will be Anjali Lama, a transgender model from Nepal. Mohammad Ismail Ansari, an embroidery artisan from the Dharavi slums of Mumbai, has also teamed up with fashion designer Jay Ramrakhiani to showcase his work at the event.
Although she can’t wait to get on stage, Ms Katti said she had no wish to enter the fashion industry, even if the opportunity arose. After studying psychology for two years in New York and social entrepreneurship at Watson University in Colorado – opportunities made possible by support from Kranti – her ambition now is to establish a cafe and community centre as a retreat for sex workers and children, where they can take part in educational activities to help them escape the Kamathipura red light district, as she has.
“I want to do something for my community,” she said.
foreign.desk@thenational.ae
The%20specs
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How to improve Arabic reading in early years
One 45-minute class per week in Standard Arabic is not sufficient
The goal should be for grade 1 and 2 students to become fluent readers
Subjects like technology, social studies, science can be taught in later grades
Grade 1 curricula should include oral instruction in Standard Arabic
First graders must regularly practice individual letters and combinations
Time should be slotted in class to read longer passages in early grades
Improve the appearance of textbooks
Revision of curriculum should be undertaken as per research findings
Conjugations of most common verb forms should be taught
Systematic learning of Standard Arabic grammar
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
Financial considerations before buying a property
Buyers should try to pay as much in cash as possible for a property, limiting the mortgage value to as little as they can afford. This means they not only pay less in interest but their monthly costs are also reduced. Ideally, the monthly mortgage payment should not exceed 20 per cent of the purchaser’s total household income, says Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching.
“If it’s a rental property, plan for the property to have periods when it does not have a tenant. Ensure you have enough cash set aside to pay the mortgage and other costs during these periods, ideally at least six months,” she says.
Also, shop around for the best mortgage interest rate. Understand the terms and conditions, especially what happens after any introductory periods, Ms Glynn adds.
Using a good mortgage broker is worth the investment to obtain the best rate available for a buyer’s needs and circumstances. A good mortgage broker will help the buyer understand the terms and conditions of the mortgage and make the purchasing process efficient and easier.
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Constant Variable (CVT)
Power: 141bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: Dh64,500
On sale: Now
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The biog
Siblings: five brothers and one sister
Education: Bachelors in Political Science at the University of Minnesota
Interests: Swimming, tennis and the gym
Favourite place: UAE
Favourite packet food on the trip: pasta primavera
What he did to pass the time during the trip: listen to audio books
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
SPEC%20SHEET
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Three tips from La Perle's performers
1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.
2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.
3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
MATCH INFO
Barcelona 2
Suarez (10'), Messi (52')
Real Madrid 2
Ronaldo (14'), Bale (72')
'Panga'
Directed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari
Starring Kangana Ranaut, Richa Chadha, Jassie Gill, Yagya Bhasin, Neena Gupta
Rating: 3.5/5
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
Various Artists
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
Which honey takes your fancy?
Al Ghaf Honey
The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year
Sidr Honey
The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest
Samar Honey
The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments
Washmen Profile
Date Started: May 2015
Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Laundry
Employees: 170
Funding: about $8m
Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The UAE's journey to space
Profile
Name: Carzaty
Founders: Marwan Chaar and Hassan Jaffar
Launched: 2017
Employees: 22
Based: Dubai and Muscat
Sector: Automobile retail
Funding to date: $5.5 million
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