<p>She sashays down the ramp gracefully, draped in a designer ensemble and a cheerful smile.<br /><br />Tamana Chona, 46, is not a model like any other. Born with cerebral palsy, she spoke her first word and took her first step at the age of nine.<br /><br />She now hopes to instill confidence in those with disabilities with events such as a fashion show which featured her – and many differently-abled children from her NGO, Tamanna.<br /><br />"I swim, I dance, I teach and I am no less than a professional model on the ramp. My parents are proud of me, I can tell you that people today can't walk the ramp the way I do," said Chona, a nursery teacher in a mainstream school with special children and a marathoner.<br /><br />Wearing a stylish, embroidered kurta with a pair of crisp white pants, she graced the ramp with the president of the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI), Sunil Sethi, congratulating the young participants for the spectacular fashion show, titled "Infinite Opportunity".<br /><br />"Despite everything I am treated differently. Through this fashion show, I hope we will be able to change the world for us," she said.<br /><br />The show, held here recently, featured several children with disabilities all resplendent in designer outfits and posing like professional models in front of cameras.<br /><br />They walked the ramp with leading models, wearing ensembles crafted by FDCI designers -- Abraham and Thakore, Anju Modi, Gaurav Jai Gupta, Payal Jain, Amit Aggarwal, Rajesh Pratap Singh, Payal Pratap Singh and Sanjay Garg.<br /><br />"The reason for holding the Tamana fashion show every year is to bring greater confidence and dignity into the lives of the specially-abled," Chona said.<br /><br />A colourful collection of ensembles designed by students of Pearl Academy with the inmates of Tihar jail was also displayed at the show.<br /><br />The evening began with a song by the visually impaired singing icon Diwakar Sharma. Among those present at the show were the Australian High Commissioner to India, Bollywood actor Kriti Sanon, FDCI president Sethi and Tamana founder and president Shyama Chona, an educationist.<br /><br />"Tamana's annual fashion show has over the years depicted that fashion does not discriminate and the differently-abled can also fulfill their aspirations of looking fashionable," Sethi said.<br /><br />Recognised nation-wide for its contribution in the field of disability, NGO Tamana works with the purpose of helping the cognitively impaired, intellectually challenged and autistic children.</p>
<p>She sashays down the ramp gracefully, draped in a designer ensemble and a cheerful smile.<br /><br />Tamana Chona, 46, is not a model like any other. Born with cerebral palsy, she spoke her first word and took her first step at the age of nine.<br /><br />She now hopes to instill confidence in those with disabilities with events such as a fashion show which featured her – and many differently-abled children from her NGO, Tamanna.<br /><br />"I swim, I dance, I teach and I am no less than a professional model on the ramp. My parents are proud of me, I can tell you that people today can't walk the ramp the way I do," said Chona, a nursery teacher in a mainstream school with special children and a marathoner.<br /><br />Wearing a stylish, embroidered kurta with a pair of crisp white pants, she graced the ramp with the president of the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI), Sunil Sethi, congratulating the young participants for the spectacular fashion show, titled "Infinite Opportunity".<br /><br />"Despite everything I am treated differently. Through this fashion show, I hope we will be able to change the world for us," she said.<br /><br />The show, held here recently, featured several children with disabilities all resplendent in designer outfits and posing like professional models in front of cameras.<br /><br />They walked the ramp with leading models, wearing ensembles crafted by FDCI designers -- Abraham and Thakore, Anju Modi, Gaurav Jai Gupta, Payal Jain, Amit Aggarwal, Rajesh Pratap Singh, Payal Pratap Singh and Sanjay Garg.<br /><br />"The reason for holding the Tamana fashion show every year is to bring greater confidence and dignity into the lives of the specially-abled," Chona said.<br /><br />A colourful collection of ensembles designed by students of Pearl Academy with the inmates of Tihar jail was also displayed at the show.<br /><br />The evening began with a song by the visually impaired singing icon Diwakar Sharma. Among those present at the show were the Australian High Commissioner to India, Bollywood actor Kriti Sanon, FDCI president Sethi and Tamana founder and president Shyama Chona, an educationist.<br /><br />"Tamana's annual fashion show has over the years depicted that fashion does not discriminate and the differently-abled can also fulfill their aspirations of looking fashionable," Sethi said.<br /><br />Recognised nation-wide for its contribution in the field of disability, NGO Tamana works with the purpose of helping the cognitively impaired, intellectually challenged and autistic children.</p>