A model with a cause

acirc;euro;oelig;I am writing my thesis on the management of desire, in Vedanta Philosophy by its renunciation of the physical through pursuit of spiritual perfectionism, versus Western pursuit of its satisfaction through materialism and consumerism in conspicuous consumption. My experiences in business have helped me form this perspective.acirc;euro;

Indrani grew up in India and Canada and then chose to be a model. She became a model at 14. She studied photography and philosophy informally while modelling around the world for 10 years for magazines such as French Vogue, Italian Glamour, Madame Figaro and Spanish Harperacirc;euro;trade;s Bazaar. Smart and savvy, she took a great interest in the technology behind the camera that produces the visions of beauty. Six years ago, she began collaborating as an art director and digital artist with Markus Klinko, a classical harpist who became a photographer. Based in New York City, they are called Cyborg Imaging.

The company/studio, she founded is now represented by Michele Filomeno and they work closely with their team of digital artists. They specialise in top-level retouching and digital manipulation, with outside clients, including David LaChapelle, David Sims, Michael Oacirc;euro;trade;Neil, and Kevin Aucoin. And the pictures they take and enhanced and retouched by the computer.

acirc;euro;oelig;The images I create with Markus are mostly for fashion, cosmetics, celebrity portraits, and fine art. Our photos appear in magazines such as Detour, Interview, Vibe, GQ, French and Italian Photo, Zoom, Arena Homme Plus, and International Harperacirc;euro;trade;s Bazaar, and Londonacirc;euro;trade;s Sunday Times Styleacirc;euro;. We have been featured in books such as Soul Style, Photo-Graphics, and International Festival of Fashion Photography and exhibitions,acirc;euro; Indrani said.

All these were enough to impress the editors at Glamour, who judged the contest, which had originally started as acirc;euro;oelig;the best dressed college studentacirc;euro;. But what blew them away and ultimately made them pick her among 700 applicants was the school she started for young students a project she cofounded and coordinates with her father Ajay Pal Chaudhuri in West Bengal. It was a project completely financed by the money Indrani had saved and set aside from her modelling.

Money, most models spend on buying the designer clothes and shoes, they are accustomed to trying on. She got the idea for a secondary school for needy kids and a medical dispensary on her familyacirc;euro;trade;s estate in Ranaghat, West Bengal, because she was frustrated by the obstacles the poor and illiterate face to get basic education and she got tired by the answers the bureaucrats gave her.In the school, five teachers teach about 170 children. They are taught free.The schools has a library, a charitable homeopathic dispensary and an adult education centre. They also provide breakfast to the students to ensure that they have at least one nutritious meal each day. Due to the recent floods in West Bengal, many of the students have been left homeless and their studies have been disrupted until they can be rehabilitated acirc;euro;oelig;We were seriously affected by the recent severe flooding, which left many students and their families and teachers homeless. We were able to house some of the victims, and provide rehabilitation for others,acirc;euro; said Indrani, who is working to create a Womenacirc;euro;trade;s EmpowermentCollege and actively does fundraising for her project in India and here.

acirc;euro;oelig;However, this has depleted our resources for teaching and so we have temporarily postponed our bid for accreditation, and interrupted our adult education programs.acirc;euro;

Indrani has set very high expectations in all that she does to take her school to a very challenging level and to make a major impact in her business. acirc;euro;oelig;We hope to widen the studentsacirc;euro;trade; perspectives by featuring seminars by a range of eminent visiting scholars from top liberal arts colleges in America, and pursue internet-based learning applications as well.

She also plans to expand the student and faculty residences and add a non-denominational ashram which would include non-monastics who wish to pursue a spiritual life. acirc;euro;oelig;That will add to the uniquely broad-minded and uplifting atmosphere for our students,acirc;euro; she said.

acirc;euro;oelig;We will continue to provide charitable kindergarten to pre-college level education, quality education and bi-lingual English competency so lacking in Bengal compared with the rest of India.acirc;euro;

She also talks about the importance of education for women. acirc;euro;oelig;Over the next three years, our goal is to expand to create a Womenacirc;euro;trade;s Empowerment College, where the emphasis will be on encouraging advocacy and creative approaches to solving Indiaacirc;euro;trade;s problems rather than complacency through rote-learning.We will also promote study of inspirational ancient Indian culture and inter-faith Vedanta philosophy,acirc;euro; she said.

And one day she hopes to see her artistic photographs displayed in magazines and in museums. acirc;euro;oelig;Despite our high profile and international acclaim, however, our interest is in producing top quality and fine art rather than profits, leading us to often spend more than we earn, to achieve perfection. By pushing the boundaries between reality and fantasy in our digital and photographic enhancements of our subjects, our creative goal is to subtly encourage viewers to question the pursuit of physical perfectionism, in comparison with the eminently more achievable pursuit of inner perfection, acirc;euro;oelig; Indrani said.

With a full life like this, there are pressures, deadlines and stress. In order to stay calm, focussed and grounded, Indrani does meditates and concentrates on her role model the Goddess Durga. acirc;euro;oelig;Sheacirc;euro;trade;s inspiring because she has strength, energy, courage, is fearless and nurturing,acirc;euro; she explained.