Amitabh, Ranbir, Sidharth to walk ramp for ‘Men for Mijwan’ 2014

Shabana Azmi and her godchild Namrata Goyal have once again put together a fundraising fashion show, ���Men for Mijwan�۝ showcasing the chikankari embroidery of the Mijwan girls on 1st April 2014 at Grand Hyatt in Mumbai at 9pm. This fundraiser for MWS founded by Kaifi Azmi with a focus on the girlchild and women and is now run by Shabana Azmi and Her godchild Namrata Goyal. Mr. Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Ranbir Kapoor, Farhan Akhtar and Sidharth Malhotra will be walking the ramp at this unique fundraiser with clothes designed by Manish Malhotra.

Commenting on the same, Shabana Azmi said, ���What is unique about this Fashion Show is that iconic male stars from different generations will be walking the ramp for the empowerment of women in rural India. ‘The man cares for the woman’ is the message we wish to convey. There is much greater awareness today that for a healthy society male participation in women�۪s empowerment is the need of the hour�۝.

She further added, ��� When we started we had 1 embroidery centre in Mijwan. Today we have 10 centres across UP and still counting… The girls and women now have a means of livelihood because of which their status within the family has changed. They are saying no to marriage before the age of 18, have opened bank accounts in their names and they are now being looked upon as assets and not liabilities by their families.. Its a huge mindset transformation in a patriarchal society�۝.

Ranbir Kapoor spoke about the show, “India is an idea who�۪s Time has come! 50 percent of India is under the age of 25 years. This is our greatest resource base. All over the world Change has been spearheaded by the youth. We, the young people of India need to turn our attention towards rural India where 80 percent of the population lives with a focus on empowering the girl child. By associating with Mijwan Welfare Society an NGO founded by the extraordinary poet lyricist Kaifi Azmi I am paying my tribute to a rare poet who practised what he preached”Pyar ka jashn nai tarha manana hoga Gam kisi dil mein sahi Gam ko mitana hoga”Kaifi Azmi. My parents raised my sister Riddhima and me without any discrimination. If anything, I used to feel my sister got a better deal because she was the elder child and a girl! I truly believe that the yardstick of a civilised society is the degree to which its women are empowered. I am happy to join hands withMWS which is working to provide equal opportunity to the girl child through education training and employment generation. It is heartening that Shabana Azmi and her godchild Namrata Goyal are taking Kaifi Saheb’s dream forward.”

Manish Malhotra said, “When I give work to the girls in Mijwan it is a win-win situation for both. I give them employment and they give me their craft, which is outstanding by all measures so I can showcase the best of India’s traditional heritage in a globalised fashion industry and thus have an edge over the designers from the west. I am very happy to be lending my support to Mijwan. Kaifi Saheb�۪s dream was to ensure that rural India finds employment in the villages so they don’t have to migrate to the city in search of work and live in slums.”

Sidharth Malhotra spoke about the charitable cause, “Mijwan Welfare Society (MWS) is an NGO that works for the empowerment of the girl child in rural India. I had heard of MWS and was aware that many film stars have walked the ramp for Shabanaji�۪s NGO. Shabanaji is a very respected actor both for her work and commitment towards social issues and I was very happy to have been asked to participate in this year�۪s fashion show. ��Rs.6000 can see a girl child through a year of schooling and computer education in Mijwan. This is the amount we would spend easily on an evening out without thinking about it twice.��I feel very strongly for this cause because it is important for men to walk shoulder to shoulder with women. I think it will send a strong signal particularly for the youth”.

Finally, Farhan Akhtar, who is Azmi’s step-son and will be seen on the ramp stated, “Congratulations and more power to Shabana Azmi, Namrata, Manish and the entire MIJWAN team for their commitment and sustained effort to the cause of women empowerment in rural India. It is a privilege to be walking for them in support. Mijwan Welfare Society (MWS) is an NGO founded by Kaifi Azmi to empower rural India with a focus on the girl child and women which is now run by Shabana Azmi and her godchild Namrata Goyal.”