Style Punch

Boxer Akhil Kumar to walk the ramp at Tihar Jail for Sanjana Jon’s show

The memories come flooding back to Beijing Olympics quarter-finalist Akhil Kumar as he gears up to walk the ramp for a unique fashion to be held at Tihar Jail! Interestingly,Kumar’s father served as a jail warden at the Rohtak Jail and therefore it’s familiar territory for the pugilist. “My father was posted at various jails in Haryana for a period of more than two decades. As children,we would visit the jail once or twice a year and my father always emphasized about giving inmates a chance to live with dignity once they completed their sentence,” shares Kumar. It’s seems only apt then that he make the most of his appearance for designer Sanjana Jon’s show at Tihar to be held this Thursday. The experienced boxer would be walking the ramp along with fellow boxer and Beijing Olympics bronze medalist Vijender Singh. Celebrities like Shibani Kashyap are also taking part in the show. Sanjana,sister of designer Anand Jon,who is to spend 59 years in a US jail after his conviction on counts of rape,is hosting the two-hour event,Creative Tihar at the jail. One of the main attractions for the show would be handicrafts made by Tihar inmates. “Sanjana contacted us a couple of weeks back for the fashion show and we readily agreed. I once visited Tihar jail for their annual sports meet and was surprised to see the products made by the inmates of the jail. It’s for the second time that I would walk the ramp and it’s for a good cause. I guess I will be less nervous this time around,” quips the 28-year-old boxer from

Bhiwani.

While his contemporary,Vijender Singh,has been regular on the fashion circuit walking the ramp for more than a dozen occasions,Akhil feels that more players should come forward to promote social causes. “A lot of youngsters look up to us for inspiration and it’s our duty to send the right message across,” remarks Kumar who believes icons could influence the youth in the right way. “As for me,I’ll do my best,” Akhil smiles to say. We can see that!