Akshay to walk the ramp with the intellectually challenged

Bangalore: In a rare case of showcasing theBold and the Beautiful of a different kind, Bollywood starAkshay Kumar will walk the ramp with 40 intellectuallychallenged persons who have made their own mark.

The show, put together by designer Ramesh Dembla, willhave Akshay, the brand ambassador for Special Olympics Bharat,sashaying down with the "special individuals" to highlight thecause of the intellectually disabled, here on October 30.

The show is the culmination of a nation-wide campaign toremove the word 'retarded' or its equivalent in any Indianlanguage while addressing those who are intellectuallychallenged. The signature campaign in the last six months hasseen nine million people signing up in favour of it.

"Unfortunately, intellectual disabilities are a realityfor a large number of people in the world. Stop thederogatory usage of the word retard. It is not about beingpolitically correct, it is about being sensitive," Akshay saidin a statement here today.

Dembla, who has designed the line, said, "The entirecollection that I have put together for the show at the finalerepresents the emotions that we are trying to communicate. Theentire collection is designed in red, black and gold,signifying bravery, determination and pride respectively."

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Around 40 regular models would walk the ramp, showcasingIndian wear with Dembla's signature style of stonework. Thelast sequence of the event would have Akshay as theshowstopper walking down with the intellectually challenged,many of whom have won medals at the Special Olympics, alsodressed in red, black and gold, Dembla said.

Speaking on the occasion, Sugandha Sukrutaraj, Directorof Be a Fan of Dignity campaign, said currently there werearound 30 million intellectually disabled people in India withbarely two per cent receiving institutional care. In mostcases the disability is caused due to delay in braindevelopment.

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Special Olympics is an international programme ofyear-round sports training and athletic competition forintellectually challenged.