Signs Of Change

A decade back,many top designers refused to participate in Italy’s first haute couture fashion show for the disabled.

In 2008,BBC Three launched Britian’s Missing Top Model,a reality show featuring eight disabled models vying for work in mainstream fashion. The prize was a photo shoot in the British Edition of fashion magazine Marie Claire. On the show,the mentor,Jonathan Phang,openly talked about the industry’s bias against disabled models.

It is at the receiving end of similar attitudes that Kotecha finds himself today. He doesn’t know the sound of music nor can he hear the audience applauding.

At his training session at the Tiara Pageant and Model Training Studio in Pune,he walks the ramp by counting the number of steps. He takes a sharp turn and walks back,his steps perfectly in sync with the music. “A model needn’t even know how to speak when he approaches a designer. But he should be a good communicator,” comments designer Hemant Sagar.

Six months back,when Kotecha enrolled to train under Ritika Ramtri at The Tiara,his family was jubilant. “Not many were willing to teach him. They were full of sympathy,but no one really believed in his ability,except Ramtri,” says his mother Malti. The training has done Kotecha a world of good; he has now developed a new confidence,that is easy to notice. “I was quite skeptical myself. Not because he was disabled,but I wasn’t sure of my own capacity to train him,” says Ramtri.

Today,as Kotecha prepares for the auditions for the Gladrags Hunt scheduled later this month,the lingering question is how will the industry react to a model who is disabled. Model coordinator Shakun Sethi,whose association with the industry dates back two decades,says,“Why would someone with a disability not be given a chance? If he is good at his work,there should be no reason why he can’t succeed in the industry. But,it’s a harsh truth that not many like him have succeeded so far.” In her career spanning more than 15 years,designer Anita Dongre has never come across such a case,but she feels that people with disabilities must be given special preference. “In every field,special measures are being taken to accommodate them,so why not fashion? I would love to work with this model. Why shouldn’t I,if all it takes is just a little patience.”

Ask Kotecha about his preparations and you see a determined mind at work. “I am focusing on building my body right now. I also need to work on my ramp walk and general knowledge,but it’s going good,” he explains in sign language. Kotecha trains at the Extreme Fitness gym in Pune. “He is very independent. Initially,I used to be concerned,but my husband told me to not be overprotective. Now,he goes out with his friends and even shops for groceries,carrying a calculator with him,” shares his mother.

Kotecha was not born with the impairment. He became hearing impaired because his nerves were affected during a meningitis affliction when he was only five-months-old. “It took us a long time to come to terms with this. His resilience gave us inspiration,” says his mother.

Kotecha smiles and gestures to his mother to not get emotional. For,he knows that the world he has entered has no room for emotions and he must toughen up to survive. “Disabled or not,a model should be able to understand the complexities of what happens backstage. I would love to work with someone who can fulfill this criterion,” says Sagar.