'It was like a dream': 15 Vantangia women walk the ramp for first time

Women from the Vantangia community, which comprises people who were brought from Myanmar for afforestation exercise during the colonial rule and live in forests, took a big leap towards their further inclusion in the mainstream when they walked on the ramp here for the first time. Fifteen of them "rocked the stage" during the Purvi Mahotsav here on Monday evening.

The Vantangiya community comprises people who were brought from Mayanmar during the colonial rule planting trees. The community faces problems related to the use of natural forest produce like fruits, honey, wax, wood and leaves to meet their daily needs as the forests inhabited by them were not considered as revenue villages. However, in 2018, in a bid to bring the forest-dwelling community into the mainstream, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath declared their 18 settlements as revenue villages.

Talking to reporters, one of the participants, Kentuli, said on Monday, "It was difficult for me to stand on the stage in front of everyone and many times I thought of quitting. But ultimately my willpower won. It was an amazing experience." "It was like a dream. We walked like women do on television," said Anjali, another participant.

The fashion program was organized by a private institute, Yamini Cultural Institute, here. A professional was called from Jaipur to give them training, their guide, Balram Saini, said. "The women were initially very hesitant and instilling confidence in them was a big challenge. I am happy that the show was really very motivating," Saini said.

"15 women walked on the ramp. Though it was quite a difficult task to take permission from their families, the result was great and they rocked the ramp. We also arranged makeup artistes, hairstylist and designer dresses for them," program organizer Sonika Singh said. "The purpose of the program was to bring Vantangia women into the mainstream of society. During the fashion show they wore Khadi attires including gown, Lehnga, Kurti and Designer Sari," she added.