Meet the 10-year-olds who are swapping playtime for spotlight

Why donrsquot you talk to that onehellip she is pretty a member of the event management staff at the India Kids Fashion Week suggests The event now in its fourth year was held over the weekend at a suburban mall And the lsquopretty girlrsquo pointed out to us is lighteyed fair and dreamylooking Lliesha BajajAt the 4th India Kids Fashion Week held at a suburban mall over the weekend 600 children between four and 14 years walked the ramp PicSayyed Sameer AbediItrsquos Lliesharsquos third attempt at walking the ramp at the show and the 10yearold Dombivli resident is confident as she shakes our hand and sits down for a chat at the central terrace She became a model says her mother Jyoti a nursery teacher at Lodha World School after she took part in a Barbie Facebook contest held in 2012 by Barbie the retail brand Children were invited to put their picture up and the photograph that got the maximum likes would win and get a voucher worth R10000 to shop And she won says Jyoti I donrsquot remember by how many votes thoughhellip Lleisha jumps in Mummy it was 8900Lleisha Bajaj 10 says her mother Jyoti no longer steps out unless shersquos wearing a Zara outfit This was her third outing at the India Kids Fashion Week PicSayyed Sameer AbediIn the crowded open space filled with kids of different heights and ages Lliesha and Jyoti are just one of hundreds of kidparents who have gathered here on a Thursday afternoon for rehearsals All the kids wear designer clothing mdash some are nodding off some posing for pictures some looking bored On one side a group walk the ramp and the choreographer tells the volunteers Let the kids walk as they want Let them be Some are seasoned child models like Lliesha and others were selected at auditions held last monthOrganisers say that that this year 1000 children came for auditions held in March Of them only 600 were selectedBut seasoned or firsttimers most kids are excited at the thought of walking the ramp Maybe for a generation thatrsquos also referred to the selfie generation craving the limelight is a natural life choice We spot a little girl in a corner waiting for her turn to rehearse her walk posing and pouting with her hand perched on her waist in a pink tutustyle dress Threeyearold Shivika doesnrsquot remember her last name and her mother is not around But ask her if she knows what a pout is and she blows a flying kiss and then says Mummy taught me that Itrsquos her first time at the showParulrsquos children eightyearold Armaan and threeyearold Kanisha are participating at the fashion week Kidswear in India is big business A 2013 report by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry ASSOCHAM estimated that the industry in India was worth R38000 crore and growing at a compound annual rate of 20 per cent to reach R80000 crore by 2015 At this event alone high street brands like Gap Kids and Max are showcasing along with designers like Samta amp Shruti Studio Sharad Raghav and Sugar Candy The fashion week is spread over three days with 24 shows and will showcase kidswear for ages four to 14 Around 1000 children participated in the auditions and only 600 were pickedSion resident Kabir Mendiratta Meanwhile Lliesha is waiting patiently to head on with rehearsals She has a purple Arabstyle toga on and shades propped on a head that sports long silky hair She wants to be on TV So I decided that if thatrsquos her dream so be it She is very fashion conscious and only shops at Zara kids now says Jyoti 35 I look after my hair but no makeup yet Lleisha assures usThreeyearold Shivika may not remember her last name but has the pout down to a pat Blowing a flying kiss she says lsquoMummy taught me thatrsquoI recently went online and learned how to make this miracle oil you boil oil with curry leaves and then put it in your hair They become even silkier than they are A Standard 5 student in the same school her mother works at Lleisha says she wants to be a Deepika Padukone when she grows up I like being the showstopper She has walked the ramp five times since she won the contest and has even acted in the reality show Savdhaan India We only accept shoots that happen on weekends says Jyoti Does that leave Lleisha with any time to play But I enjoy this more she says batting her eyelids And what if some other kid gets selected as showstopper Does that break her heart No mummy has explained it to me She says I always have the next time to try There is competition all around and I need to try my bestMeanwhile nineyearold Sion resident Kabir Mendiratta announces that he is here only to keep mommy happy The Percy Jackson fan with green eyes that prompted mother Deepa to fill up the audition form says he doesnrsquot mind returning for another show but doesnrsquot like the waiting I was praying to God lsquoplease select mersquo just so mom wouldnrsquot feel badrsquoManoj Mahla director Craftsworld India the agency that anchors the week along with Event Capital says The only thing we were looking for is confidence The kid canrsquot be shy These days kids are very aware since as they have seen it all on TV And their families are very involved tooLike Deepa who owns a printing press there are many parents trying to make their kidsrsquo starry dreams come true One couple arrived from Surat and shows us pictures of their daughters while rattling off credentials of previous titles won Some like Parul Kakkad has both her children participating mdash eightyearold Armaan and threeyearold Kanisha Kanisha is only three but after I showed her a few YouTube videos and made her practice at home she said lsquomom I can do thisrsquo For Deepa itrsquos about making sure Kabir launches his Bollywood career It always starts with modelling I am going to get a fancy photographer to shoot his portfolio He wants to be a singer Kabir laughs Even singing will need thoda hilna dulna So I am learningFriends of the models are not as forgiving the fame Kabir says his group at Arya Vidya Mandir Bandra East found it hard to digest that he was to walk the ramp After all he was the lsquonerdy kindrsquo And eightyearold Aryaan Amlani tells his friends to lsquoshut uprsquo when they make fun of himA model since the age of two Aryaanrsquos career started when he won a competition held by a retail brand after his mother Sonia signed a audition form during a shopping trip The tot with long hair who goes to RN Podar School say his parents could have been in Bajrangi Bhaijaan as Kareena Kapoorrsquos nephew But he had fever the day of the audition He is a slender kid so we donrsquot really to mind what he eats but we only feed him homecooked food He is very careful of how he dresses up Even if he is going to play he doesnrsquot wear pyjamas He dresses upThough Sonia limits Aryaanrsquos shoots to weekends Deepa feels that if a shoot is scheduled for the weekday the school will make an exception It is going be his profession We have to be serious about itWe never push him If he can do it great Or else no Itrsquos not for the money His father has an exportimport business says Sonia who adds that most ramp walks donrsquot pay the kids Itrsquos only the acting assignments that do The reason Aryaan models says father Altaf is because he likes the limelight and thinks that if he walks the ramp he may meet some actors like Varun Dhawan Do you know him Aryaan asks us sweetlyMost of the kids who walk the ramp seem at home with it Some show swag some their Bollywood side Two fouryearolds do the ball dance as they reach the end of their walk Some are shy but come to life as soon as a camera focuses on them Like Lliesha says Itrsquos all about wearing nice clothes and being applauded I am having the time of my life