Author: Smile Team

The kids from KV Sandra got the opportunity to set a style statement on the ramp recently. These children walked the ramp alongside the who’s who of the City for the cause of the girl child.

Actress Pooja Gandhi, who also walked the ramp with the children, said that such kind of activities play a crucial role in spreading awareness for a cause as great as saving the girl child. “I am a part of many charities and saving the girl child is one of the causes that is very close to my heart. More people should come up and join hands to spread awareness,” she said.

The children, who were in the age group of 14 to 16, were thrilled to wear make-up and clothes designed specially for them and enjoyed the attention that they were getting on the stage. “I have never worn make-up or such dresses. It is like a dream come true for me. I want to complete my education so that I am not a daily wage earner like my father,” said 14-year-old David.

Like David, many others had also set their priorities and wanted to attend college and achieve their goals. “I want to be a software engineer and go to an office to work. I am studying hard so that I get good marks and can go to a prestigious college,” said Nandini, a student of class 8.

While some children wanted to excel in academics, others wanted to be successful dancers and sportsmen. Ajith Kumar, a 16-year-old, is very passionate about football and gets up early in the morning to train. “I want to play for the country but right now, I am concentrating on getting selected by the local clubs. My favourite player is Lionel Messi and I wish I could meet him someday,” he informed.

Dr Kamini Rao, who is associated with the cause of the girl child, was in favour of such events and said that is essential to bring the cause of the girl child to the fore. “Thanks to the latest technology, spreading awareness is not so difficult. But what we need to do is spread the message in areas where technology has not reached. Such creative events help in dispensing knowledge and they should be organised more frequently,” she explained.

The children, on the other hand, were enjoying every bit of attention they were getting. Be it posing for the shutterbugs or walking the ramp with celebrities, they stole the show and were not even close to getting intimidated. “I am looking forward to walking the ramp. We have always seen such things on television and here, we are actually doing it,” added an excited David.

Source: http://www.deccanherald.com/content/240800/steps-towards-noble-cause.html

Preparations are underway for the best event in the social calendar of Bengaluru. Prestige group in Association with ITC Gardenia presents Smile Foundation’s “Ramp for Champs 2012”- a celebrity fashion show with Prasad Bidapa, to raise funds to educate less privileged girl child at the Botania, ITC Gardenia,on Wednesday ,April 4th 2012 .The red carpet will start promptly at 7:30 pm followed by the show set to begin at 8pm. Starring achievers from varied fields who will add to the aesthetic of this event, from Sandalwood to the business haunches to the sports personalities.

Putting his views forward on this announcement, Fashion Guru ,Prasad Bidapa said , “ I have high expectations for this show. With this year’s concept of gifting education to girl child ,I am anticipating a lot of people to open heartily support the cause . I thank everyone for their continued support for last two years. In addition, I am looking forward to convert this event as one of the best fund raisers to educate the less privileged children “

To name a few celebrated faces who will walk in support to the noble cause are Dr.Kamini Rao (Medical Director, Bangalore Assisted Conception Center), Ms.Ameera Shah (Managing Director and CEO of Metropolis Healthcare Ltd) ,Ms.Geetanjali Kirloskar (Kirloskar Group), Mr.Pieter De Man (General Manager, Airfrance / klm Indian sub continent) , Uzma Irfan and Zaid (Prestige Group), Srinivas Reddy (Tusker Harley Davidson ), Jija Hari Singh , Syed Kirmani , Kavitha Lankesh , Pooja Gandhi , Sumalatha, Chitarajan Dar ,Paresh Lamba , Anu Datta , Harish Bijoor , Polyanna Patel , Kavita & Ajay Vij , Ila Naidu ,Ranjan Biswas to name a few . A child from Smile Foundation will accompany each celeb on the ramp.

This initiative has been backed up by the Prestige Group, who have always been an epitome of strength for Smile Foundation. Other corporate who have joined hands to spread smiles are ITC Gardenia , Air France, Tusker Harley Davidson, Aircel, Reliance Trends, Reliance timeout to name a few. This event is a fashion show for a cause and everyone has turned up to take in the styles and support the initiative by Smile Foundation.

Dr. Kamini Rao , Medical Director, Bangalore Assisted Conception Center who is one of the faces walking in support of let the girl child be born said , “I am honoured to offer a helping hand to Smile Foundation in their mission to educate less privileged children. I go back to my young days when sky was the only limit for my aspirations and my family had the means to encourage and support me. I can identify myself with a girl child with similar aspirations. When I walk with an aspiring angel on the ramp, I would like to help them achieve their aspirations and tell the world ‘Let us have more girl children’.”

This year, Ramp for Champs will have a special focus on the girl child and will portray the aspirations of the tiny angels who are waiting for us to Smile back at them and gift them the much needed change.

Every girl child you will find walking on the ramp this year will be one who has walked many a miles barefoot but …..with an infectious SMILE. They dream to be lawyers, doctors, pilots, teachers, scientists, astronauts; in fact, anything a boy a can be. All they need is someone to hold their hands, encourage them and say …Go Girl go, You can touch the sky!!!!

Smita Kalappa, National Director-Child For Child , Smile Foundation, Bangalore , quoted ,“ We hope to make this event successful by sending more children to school this year .Last year we were able to send 573 children to school and this year we intend to double the number . We aim to bring high fashion and the power of celebrities in aid of the least fortunate among our children”

About Ramp for Champs :- Smile Foundation presents Ramp for Champs 2012- a celebrity fashion show with Prasad Bidapa, to raise funds to educate less privileged girl child.This year, Ramp for Champs will have a special focus on the girl child and will portray the aspirations of the tiny angels who are waiting for us to Smile back at them and gift them the much needed change. Every girl child you will find walking on the ramp this year will be one who has walked many a miles barefoot but …..with an infectious SMILE. They dream to be lawyers, doctors, pilots, teachers, scientists, astronauts; in fact, anything a boy a can be. All they need is someone to hold their hands, encourage them and say …Go Girl go, You can touch the sky!!!!

To know More about Ramp for Champs, Log onto: www.rampforchamps.com

About Smile Foundation :- Smile Foundation is a national level development organization that benefits 200,000 underprivileged children and youth directly, across 22 states in India through 160 development projects in subjects like education, healthcare, livelihood and girl child empowerment. Following the principles of Good Governance, Smile Foundation works on its innovative model of Social Venture Philanthropy.

To know more about Smile Foundation, log onto: – www.smilefoundationindia.org

Source: http://www.indianewsblast.com/2012/04/celebrity-fashion-show-to-fund.html

The best way to savour Bangalore is to be up very early in the morning, almost as daylight breaks. For at that time, come what may, it is beautifully cool. But the good feeling is quickly ruined by what follows – the tales newspapers have been carrying for the last two weeks.

No, I don’t mean the usual crop of bad news from around the world, hand-picked by newspaper people to live up to their own idea of what makes news, after the news channels have done their best to set the tone through the previous day. I mean real news, from close to where you are, affecting real people in the most important aspects of their daily lives.

The first bombs to explode were official admissions that the mathematics and physics question papers for the final pre-university examinations had been leaked. Before this trauma could be absorbed, more unsettling news followed. The papers reported rumours that the entire range of science question papers had been leaked, and those of English too.

If you wanted to find some black humour to relieve your misery, you could have noted the officialese that Indian politicians and newspapers are famous for. The government, it seems, has taken the matter “seriously” (don’t tell me!) and “both” the chief minister and the minister for primary and secondary education (no kidding!) had “maintained” (they didn’t just say it, they were steadfast about it too!) that the “guilty, regardless of their rank, will be punished” (this should put a stop to all loose talk of lack of governance).

When news comes of a terrorist bomb exploding somewhere, you are upset, but the immediate reaction that follows is, thank god anybody I know was not there. But this question paper thing upset people right around you; a dozen children down your very street were affected. Question papers are leaked periodically all around the country but somehow I couldn’t shake off the impression that it was another sign that a once well-run state had fallen on hard times. So I instinctively started looking for an antidote, something to reassure myself that the somewhat idealised image of the city and state I had clung to existed in reality. All you had to do, I told myself, was take the trouble to find it and not go by what the newspapers said.

Then it was that the wife asked if I would like to go along with her to a fashion show organised by the non-governmental organisation with which she had been working until recently. They had done it last year with such aplomb that they were on to making it an annual event.

At fashion designer Prasad Bidapa’s show, “Ramp For Champs”, city celebrities walk the ramp with disadvantaged children being helped by Smile Foundation. He was doing it for nothing; the models who made up the regular fashion show that would follow were donating their fees so that each could support four kids’ education for a year; and what sponsors and celebrities put in would go to Smile.

This would be the second fashion show I would be attending in my life (both by Bidapa). But what was really taking me there was not to ogle models, but to try and sense that flavour of a city which says it has both class and a large heart. And the extra bonus was to feel the air on the hotel rooftop cool quickly after sundown, reminding you that in Bangalore, despite the drought, you didn’t need air-conditioning most of the time.

The show itself was great fun. The self-confidence of the children, who were probably entering a starred hotel for the first time, was remarkable. They were naturals, causing Bidapa to note that one youngster had already picked up ramp walk. The celebrities, who came in various shapes, sizes and ages, were such good sports, unselfconsciously participating in a good cause.

The fact that some of the celebrities did not turn up didn’t seem to matter. The mood of the evening was informal and friendly. Despite so many socialites around, nobody wanted to be seen or be seen with. The stylised walk of the models – who in the regular part of the fashion show sported the casual wear (yes, leather jackets and all) peddled by Harley-Davidson – fitted in comfortably.

When the wife asked on the way back if I got bored, I said it was good right through, including what came last – chilled, crisp, dry white wine.

Source: http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/subir-roy-the-kingshard-times/470380/