Khushboo from Lucknow, Bhawana from London, Aasttha Ssidana from the capital may be separated by geographical boundaries, but what unites them is their love for the arch lights and the lust for travel
By Asmita Aggarwal
She is the quintessential Lucknow girl, who studied commerce, till she discovered the brightly lit catwalk and not balance sheets made her happy. So WIFW SS 15 first timer Khushboo Kankan, told her policeman father and lawyer brother that the arch lights is what she will pursue and thats just what she did.
The fresh faced, statuesque Khushboo at five feet ten inches is also an avid bike lover and when time allows her she gets on her Bullet and zips around the mean streets of the capital. I like dancing also; many people find bikes and dance an odd mix, but both are equally dear to me, she laughs.
Growing up in a small city with limited exposure to glamour, Khushboo had a tough time convincing her parents to let her move to Delhi. I joined Amity University to study mass communication, but offers kept coming so I had to leave to concentrate on modelling, she admits.
At 21, Khushboo confesses that the toughest part is keeping her diet in control, being a foodie and coming from the city of mouth-melting tunde kebebs, as keeping in shape is an integral part of the business. I love food and I enjoy cooking and eating, she laughs.
If Khushboo is clear about staying put in this fickle world of fame, London born and raised Bhawana Suri, another first timer is excited about being in her dads country. My mom is British and father Punjabi, so I had a fairly English upbringing as my dad wasnt around a lot. India always remained a mystery and modelling has given me a chance to explore all the myths and mythology that I heard about when I was a kid growing up in Suffolk, says Bhawana.
Studying business and fashion two ends of a spectrum, Bhawana moved to the South of Spain to continue her life under the spotlight. While growing up a lot of people told her she was tall enough to be a model, and like most Brit moms, Bhawanas let her do what actually excited her. There was no pressure from home and no convincing needed. I knew I had the confidence to get on stage. I am a big fan of Cara Delevingne and having read about her, what makes her endearing despite her powerful presence is her humility, self-effacing nature and the willingness to learn and adapt. Very few can touch the pinnacle, she is one English model who has, she admits.
Bhawana is taking each day as it comes, and not being much of a planner, she confesses she is enjoying every moment, so she may extend her stay here. I know modelling has a shelf life, but I like the uncertainty that life throws your way, making each day unpredictable, which keeps the buzz alive, she concludes.
As they say different strokes for different folks—coming from a super conservative family Aasttha Ssidana would have never thought even the word modelling would be acceptable in her family. But the BBA graduate from Amity University, Noida knew that she had it in her to make it big on the catwalk, after all she had casually sent her photos for the Ms India contest 2012 and she made it to the Top 20. I had to make a pact with my dad and grandmom who had earlier stopped me from becoming a dance instructor at Shiamak Davar that if I hit it big, I will come back and do what they want, she recalls.
Aasttha came back and was bombarded with modelling offers, slowly her father reconciled, albeit unhappily to his daughters modelling career which involved hectic travelling.
Growing up the outdoorsy Aasttha was different from girlie girls as she enjoyed basketball more than gossip sessions and also dreamed of taking up tennis as a career. Most people think if you are pretty you should be a model; I think you need to be intelligent to be on the ramp as your body language will do most of the talking!, explains the Aasttha who is a tattoo freak, with her favourite things inked on different body parts. Her moms name on her wrist, her friends on her lower back and angel wings on her ankles. It was a problem during Ms India contest to have things tattooed on your thigh, but I somehow sailed past it, she giggles.
And if you though beauty often doesnt come with adequate brains, Aasttha will tell you her favourite past-time in between shows and make-up is reading (yes, she loves books!). Right now on her book list is Gone Girl, a thriller by American writer Gillian Flynn and she is alternating it with The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. I like two ends of a spectrum—-thrillers and sad, romantic tales. The Fault in Our Stars, Time Magazines No. 1 fiction book of the year, has me in tears. I loved the combination of melancholy with philosophy, she concludes.