It was a fashion show to be remembered not just for its sartorial elegance but also for celebrating the indomitable courage, resilience and spirit of cancer survivors.
Creating awareness about the need to go in for periodic testing for cancer was also emphasised in the fourth edition of “Festival of Hope” staged at Gurgaon recently. It saw the coming together of professional models, cancer survivors, grandfathers, grandmothers and even little ones sashaying down the ramp.
While celebrating fashion in all its myriad hues was the central piece of the two hour show, the message was that cancer does not mean the end of road for anyone.
This was conveyed by designer Pawan Sachdeva who made debonair male models dress up in immaculate white long dresses and headgears looking every bit Arab Sheikhs. For his “Andaaz-e-Nawab” men’s wear collection, Pawan had drawn inspiration from two sources. Apart from the Arab influence, he had drawn heavily from the architectural heritage of Mughal rulers.
“Apart from the Mughals, who were connoisseurs of art and heritage, I also drew inspiration from Arabs who dress up in their traditional wear,” said Pawan. Since the West Asian people are generally tall and well built, the designer deliberately chose models gifted with long legs and muscular bodies worth flaunting. All the male models were over six feet tall, some sporting trimmed beards, and had mastered the traditional way of greeting people with salaam . On the ramp, their behaviour and mannerisms also looked similar to Arabs making one wonder whether they had come all the way from West Asia .
But no they were all desi models who had been groomed by Bollywood choreographer Kaushik Ghosh. Indeed, it was a gruelling task for Kaushik as he had to train over 120 models. “As a celebrity, I want to do my bit for a noble cause. It was a mind boggling task working with so many people over the past three days. But it was worth the effort,” said Kaushik.
Since this was a fund raiser and a part of the proceeds going to the Indian Cancer Society, Kaushik involved people of all ages.
This way, the message conveyed to fashionistas was that dressing up in favourite garments was the need of the hour as it was important for everyone to be in a positive frame of mind and not entertain negative thoughts.
Actor-turned-designer Farheen Prabhakar, better half of former cricketer Manoj Prabhakar, demonstrated that it was possible to create economically-priced garments worn by Bollywood stars. While her husband was occupying the front seat admiring Farheen’s collection, the designer could be seen in rapt conversation with cancer survivors. Later, she said: “At this show, I learnt the importance of detecting breast cancer through mammography. We too can communicate the message to the public in our unique way.”
Recounting the struggle he had undergone after his father was diagnosed with cancer, television actor Abhinav Chaturvedi said it was a trying time as his father suffered for 16 long years. “One has to be mentally strong if diagnosed with cancer. Support of family members is also essential,” said Chaturvedi.
Other designers Ritu Pande, Nimirta Lalwani, Pernia Qureshi, Chhaya Mehrotra and Varija Bajaj showcased a range of Western and fusion outfits to motivate cancer-afflicted people that all is not lost if they are diagnosed with the disease.
