My First Catwalk

 

For centuries, the circus of fashion has been a cultural phenomenon to capture the interest of millions of enthusiasts by showcasing the latest collection of fashion ware. Models strut on the stage to display the items being promoted while the celebrities perch on the front row. This practice is not only to promote fashion but also to select beauty pageants. Hundreds of beauty contests are held in big cities all over the world. I had the opportunity to catwalk once and would like to share the experience here.

I got married in July 1970 and moved to Poona in October.  For me everything was new, new city, new people, new culture, new life, new work place and there were more new things to follow as days went by but here I want to throw light on a Cat Walk I participated in. During the 70s, there used to be a yearly beauty contest held in the month of May and it was called River Dance but few years down the line, it was renamed as May Queen Ball. All the young ladies could participate.

I was newly married and all my husband’s bachelor friends would show up during the week ends to socialise with us. The real idea was to meet the new bride and assess if she was fit enough for their group, if she was a social person, introvert or extrovert, whether she was good looking and a deserving life partner for their friend. Well! I passed the assessment with flying colour as I was also from the army back ground and matched their lifestyle. Soon all these guys became good friends. We used to go out to Panchgani, Mahabaleshwar, Lonavala etc., and have a great time. One week-end, the friends decided to go for River Dance. I wasn’t very sure of the event but as usual went along. I assumed that River Dance would be something like the weekends in any club where we danced to the contemporary music of that time.

As we reached the venue, I was amazed to see the place overly decorated! It seemed like a grand event. Some familiar faces exchanged greetings and soon our group occupied the place very close to the stage. I could read River Dance in shimmery words. So far everything was going good. As the boys settled down, the waiters came to take the order. Before placing their order, they asked me what I would like to drink. As I never had hard drinks, I ordered a Coke. The guys exchanged looks with my husband and he nodded as if in approval that I could have the coke. The drinks arrived, by which time my throat was parched so I took a big gulp, another gulp followed by another and then I realised that I was feeling a bit different, light in my head. However, I didn’t stop gulping the fizzy drink. Actually now I was sipping.

The boys were jabbering away to glory but I noticed one of our friends walking up to the stage where whole lot of ladies clad in saris were gathered flashing their placards with number on it. This got me real curious and so I asked the guys as to what was going on. Before they could answer, the missing friend returned with a placard number 21 and gave it to me. I looked at him and said “What is this? What am I supposed to do with this? He pulled me to my feet and said “take this number and go up to the stage”. There was no further conversation exchanged after that as I could see people signalling me to come up. I was too embarrassed to go up to the stage but at the same time, there were too many eyes focused on me. Didn’t know what to think at that moment so I started to walk towards the stage and guess what? I was swaying. I thought may be the lawn was soft and the stilettos I was wearing probably was piercing into the lawn and therefore I collected my composure and kept walking towards the stage. I had to climb few steps to get on to the stage and it was getting cumbersome but I didn’t want to give up. Somehow I made it to the stage and joined the ladies. How many? I have no idea. There was an announcement made and I saw one lady with her placard walking up to the center of the stage. She walked and held the placard on her diaphragm, bowed to the left and then to the right and then walked away to the extreme right and stood there. Another number was called and the same process was followed. I was watching this very carefully and by now, I was well aware as to what I should be doing.  However, the wait was too long and I started feeling unstable. Nevertheless, there was no way out. I had to wait for my turn.

If you think I lost balance and fell on the stage, you are wrong! I was absolutely OK ! Finally, number 21 was called and I started walking to the center of the stage. Actually I was not walking, I was strutting. Strutting very well! Isn’t that what one is supposed to do?  Although my head was hurting and feeling cloudy, I managed to reach my destination. I Could hear the audience applaud and cheer! Was it for me? Not sure. May be for everyone. Soon the MC announced that we should leave the stage and be seated at our respective place until the results were announced. As I walked towards my table, I could see my friends including my husband laughing. When I approached them, my husband said “least you could have done is hold the placard straight. You were holding it upside down.” I felt so humiliated that I couldn’t speak a word. I sat down and tried to avoid eye contact with my husband and friends while they kept making fun of me.

Soon the result was announced and the deserving participant was crowned Miss River Dance. For sure it wasn't me. I went home very disappointed. Had I been told what to expect of the evening, I could have been well prepared. Moreover, the cloudiness in my head was due to the Rum effect which one of the boys had mixed in my cola. They just wanted to see me drunk and have some fun at my expense. I was so annoyed with the boys that for months I did not speak to them.