Akshay Kumar to walk the ramp

Akshay will walk the ramp with 40 intellectually challenged persons.

Bangalore: In a rare case of showcasing the Bold and the Beautiful of a different kind, Bollywood star Akshay Kumar will walk the ramp with 40 intellectually challenged persons who have made their own mark.The show, put together by designer Ramesh Dembla, will have Akshay, the brand ambassador for Special Olympics Bharat, sashaying down with the "special individuals" to highlight the cause of the intellectually disabled, here on October 30.

The show is the culmination of a nation-wide campaign to remove the word `retarded` or its equivalent in any Indian language while addressing those who are intellectually challenged. The signature campaign in the last six months has seen nine million people signing up in favour of it. "Unfortunately, intellectual disabilities are a reality for a large number of perople in the world. Stop the derogatory usage of the word retard. It is not about being politically correct, it is about being sensitive," Akshay said in a statement here today. Dembla, who has designed the line, said, "The entire collection that I have put together for the show at the finale represents the emotions that we are trying to communicate. The entire collection is designed in red, black and gold, signifying bravery, determination and pride respectively." Around 40 regular models would walk the ramp, showcasing Indian wear with Dembla`s signature style of stonework. The last sequence of the event would have Akshay as the showstopper walking down with the intellectually challenged, many of whom have won medals at the Special Olympics, also dressed in red, black and gold, Dembla said. Speaking on the occasion, Sugandha Sukrutaraj, Director of Be a Fan of Dignity campaign, said currently there were around 30 million intellectually disabled people in India with barely two per cent receiving institutional care. In most cases the diability is caused due to delay in brain development. Special Olympics is an international programme of year-round sports training and athletic competition for intellectually challenged. PTI