Fun off the ramp

This picture was taken during a fashion show in Bengaluru in 2006. It was taken backstage just before the show.

Seen in the picture along with me are Vijay, Ajay Balhara and Tony Luke. The four of us have walked the ramp together for many designers.

I began modelling when I was in college and was only a couple of shows old when this picture was taken. I still remember that there was always so much excitement backstage.

We would spend our time chatting, pulling each other's legs and when our turn came to walk the ramp, we did our job confidently. Vijay and Ajay are twins and are very cool guys.

They were extremely soft-spoken and dedicated to their jobs. I am not in touch with them anymore but I think Vijay has become a very successful designer.

Ajay, I am sure, is connected to the world of fashion in someway.

Tony joined the film industry. He was a successful model back then. We are all a few years apart in age but we all got along very well.

I started my career with Prasad Bidapa and I have remained with him ever since then. I never thought of modelling as a career option, but after I walked the ramp for the first time, one thing led to another and now I am settled in this industry.

Prasad and I opened a modelling agency a few years ago and I now head it.

Bengaluru has always been a special city for me. I completed my schooling from Laidlaw MemorialSchool in Ketti Valley and returned to Bengaluru to complete my degree at Baldwin Methodist College. I hold very fond memories of the time I spent with my friends from college and those from the modelling fraternity.

Life was more peaceful in old Bangalore and one didn't have to spend so many hours waiting in traffic.

We used to hang out after every show. We frequented The Club on Mysore Road, Spin on Residency Road and Club X on Old Airport Road for after-parties. I think Spin shut down a few years ago. We enjoyed the ambience at these places and would party till the wee hours.

This photograph reminds me of the fun we had backstage. It is hard to explain the thrill and excitement we shared during every show.

I now walk the ramp as a showstopper and make celebrity appearances but
that fiery spirit that we had back in the good old days still remains even to this day.

Zoheb Yusuf
(Head of Prasad Bidapa Model Management)