It can happen only in Incredible India. Twenty-eight liberated women scavengers will walk the ramp with top Indian and foreign models from the fashion world.
The 28 women will walk the ramp at the UN with top models on July 1
NEW DELHI: It can happen only in Incredible India. Twenty-eight liberated women scavengers will walk the ramp with top Indian and foreign models from the fashion world such as Jessy Randhawa, Rahul Dev, Carol Gracias, Sania Sheikh, Aryan Vaid, Mark Robinson, Shahwar Ali and Tamala Moss at the UN headquarters on July 2.
This is the first time the UN is organising such a show. The scavengers have stitched clothes for the fashion models. Internationally-known Abdul Haldar, who designs clothes for Michael Jackson, has trained the erstwhile scavengers.
On Thursday, the 28 women (between 25 and 50) called on Congress president Sonia Gandhi “to seek her blessings”.
Talking to DNA, Bindeshwar Pathak, founder of NGO Sulabh International, which played a major role in changing the fate of the scavengers, said, “Mrs Gandhi blessed them and wished them all the success. They were very happy to see Mrs Gandhi.”
“Till 2003, they were carrying human excreta in Alwar, Rajasthan. They were liberated and since then have been given education and training in fashion technology, beauty treatment, stitching, making papads, noodles, etc,” Pathak said.
The event will take place in one of the general assembly halls where ministers and officials from more than 150 countries will be present. A book titled Princesses of Alwar and containing success stories of these women will also be released on the occasion.
Recounting the story of the emancipated women, Pathak said when World Toilet Summit was held last October, a cultural programme was organised. Prince of Orange of the Netherlands, who is chairperson of the water and sanitation organization, attended the programme. “When a film on manual scavenging was shown, tears rolled down his cheeks,” Pathak said.
The economic and social council of the UN, which is celebrating 2008 as International Year of Sanitation, invited Sulabh to bring the 28 scavengers and present a cultural programme at the UN.
The two-hour programme includes a 15-minute lecture by a UN official and a 15-minute film on scavenging.
Pathak said Mahatma Gandhi wanted to remove manual scavenging and bring scavengers to the national mainstream and the UN honour to the 28 former scavengers is fulfillment of his dream.
k_benedict@dnaindia.net
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