Bhubaneswar: Several cancer survivors walked the ramp at a fashion show in the city for the cause of education of underprivileged girls.
The unique initiative came at the fourth edition of Kiah Fashion Show organised by Parichay Foundation on Friday. The show was hosted to raise funds for Parichay’s flagship ‘Alaknanda scholarship programme’ for school drop-outs who want to continue their studies.
Ollywood stars Sidhant Mohapatra and Anu Choudhury also lent their support to the cause by walking with the real heroes in life on the ramp.
Some of the ‘models’, including Ranjana Agarwal, Swagatika Acharya, Dr JM Rao, Rajeshwari Bhuyan, Bishnu Priya Sahoo, Bhawani Oani, PK Tripathy and Bijoylaxmi Kar, also shared their personal stories of fighting and finally defeating cancer.
Ollywood playback singers Debashish Mohapatra and Amrita Bharati Panda performed at the event, charming the gathering with their musical show.
Founder of Parichay Foundation, Rosalin Patsani Mishra said, “I want to thank everyone who has helped to make this programme such a big success, particularly those who walked the ramp. This entire event is very close to my heart because through this, we raise funds for the education of drop-out girl students who want to study.”
“We have already adopted and trained two batches of over 60 students and made them appear for their matriculations exams under NIOS. I am happy to share that the results are very encouraging. We want to ensure that these girls complete their education and also get good placements in future with our help,” she added.
Among other high profile guests, the Kenyan High Commissioner, Willy K Bett, the Vice Chairperson of Parliamentary Committee, Dr Swarup R Mishra, and former BJD MP Prasana Patsani attended the event.