Ramp time for Slumdog kids

After getting an education fund, a trip to the Oscars in Los Angeles and the promise of flats in Mumbai, they are all set to walk the ramp for designers Ashima and Leena Singh on March 19 at the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week.

It’s raining goodies for Slumdog Millionaire kids Azhar and Rubina. After getting an education fund, a trip to the Oscars in Los Angeles and the promise of flats in Mumbai, they are all set to walk the ramp for designers Ashima and Leena Singh on March 19 at the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week.

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Ashima-Leena, who have never roped in a celebrity to walk the ramp, are excited about Azhar and Rubina’s ramp debut. “Ever since we heard that the kids had gone back to the slums after the Oscar win, we had been wondering about the irony,” says Leena. “That’s when we decided to contact them for our show.”

The children will be their showstoppers. Ashima Singh is designing outfits for them in accordance with the
collection. “I will probably design a sherwani for Azhar in black with touches of red. For Rubina, it will be a gypsy costume, something she can carry with élan.”

The designers will gift additional outfits as well as goody bags to the kids. Their parents are being flown to Delhi with the children on Wednesday afternoon for the show.

With this initiative with the Slumdog children, the duo plans to launch the Ashima-Leena foundation, which “I want to name Jai Ho foundation”, Leena says.

FDCI, which is organising WIFW, and the government umbrella body FDPC have both pledged support to the foundation. FDCI president Sunil Sethi has promised the first cheque.