Blind Girl Students to Catwalk in Guwahati Fashion Show

Some of India's top models will sashay down the catwalk alongside eight blind girl students at a unique fashion show in this Assam city .

Preparations are on for the show 'Light Up the World' slated for July 17 at the ornate Pragjyoti cultural centre in Guwahati. Young fashion designer Himangshu Bora is busy training the eight excited models of the Guwahati Blind School who will have supermodels Nina Manuel and Dippanita Sharma for company that day.

"The eight students, from the age group 10 to 18, are indeed brilliant. Their blindness will not come in the way of them walking the ramp. They are very sensitive and intelligent," Bora told IANS.

"I am sure this show would be an eye opener for the fashion industry as such shows are not only about the skin but mean more than that."

The visually challenged students would catwalk to music arranged by DJ Yan, who has just recovered from a serious neurological attack.

"For me, the visually challenged students are more than supermodels. They have instincts far more sharp and sensitive though they cannot see the light of the world," said Bora, a talented designer who passed out from the International Institute of Fashion Technology in New Delhi.

The idea behind hosting the show was conceived a few days ago with Bora planning something different. "I want people to change their outlook and perception towards the physically challenged and hence this show. After training these eight students I realised that physically-challenged people can do things like any other human being and they are not unfortunate at all," he said.

The training schedule is strenuous, but the aspiring models at the Guwahati Blind School are excited. "Some of them, if groomed properly, could give top models a run for their money," a teacher of the school said.

The eight young models would display some of Bora's summer collections created with an ethnic touch. Around 20 other models from Assam and outside the state would walk the ramp in the novel show.

"We want people to come and see the show and help us generously. The proceeds from the show would be given for the welfare of the school," Bora said.

(Source: IANS)