No Filter: Meet the city model who defies his disability

At a recent event in the city, I was introduced to several new male models on the block and Ramesh R was one of them and what immediately struck me was that this guy had a sweet smile. 

I was told that he was hearing impaired due to a congenital defect and then we proceeded to have a conversation through sign language, lip reading, text messages and gestures on my part (playing charades in my childhood helped). 

One thing that shone through was his wonderfully positive spirit and that beaming smile he flashed at me and I had to sit down and talk to him. Chennai is slowly getting inclusive, at least when it comes to fashion by embracing transgender models and now a hearing and speech impaired model. 

We caught up at a café and his brother accompanied him to help translate when needed. He practically bounced in his chair when he said this is his first interview and mentioned that he wanted to thank Sunil Menon for giving him the opportunity to walk the ramp and being accommodating. 

An agency in the city said that he could never do a fashion show because he needs to hear music and coordinate to the beat. They advised him to focus on advertisements, print shoots and films. He was upset with the initial reaction and refused to take no for an answer, that tenacity has been his biggest strength. 

You don’t often hear a hearing impaired person tell you they aspire to be a model or an actor and until now I have never questioned that. Ramesh says, ‘Many of my friends who are deaf want to be models and actors, but they think they will not be accepted or they can make it. 

Abdul Kalam’s writing inspired me to believe that I can dream, work hard and make them come true’. ‘God made me beautiful’ is something that he tried telling me and this was one line I had no trouble understanding. That’s when you realise there is a difference between ‘common’ and ‘normal’ and more often than not we  confuse the two.

The Amir Mahal quiz is a quarterly invite-only event that is a part of the Chennai social calendar. People try to wrangle an invite to this quiz not just because it is one of the best trivia contests with great prizes, but also to eat the famed biryani made in the palace kitchens by a family of cooks using the Nawabi recipes that have been handed down through generations. 

This is also a chance for people to see the beautiful Amir Mahal Palace lit up and make conversation with consul generals, award-winning athletes, artists, entertainers and who’s who from every industry in a ballroom steeped in history. 

It all starts with an invite in your mailbox from Nawabzada Mohammed Asif Ali, Dewan to the Prince of Arcot and Begum Seema Saheba — two of the nicest human beings I know and the best hosts. 

Then you dress up for the occasion and show up at the palace, walk past storied walls and photographs of historical figures we have seen only in our textbooks and pose with the family. 

You are escorted into the dining hall where you partake in the famed Nawabi hospitality which is followed by the quiz set by our quizmaster the Nawabzada himself. ‘I have been doing this for ages now, right from my school days. 

The manner in which the contest was organised went bigger as time went by. Now, I’m a professional quizmaster for schools, colleges, corporates, clubs and consulates,’ he says and you can tell how much he enjoys it. 

From teasing us with clues to cajoling our brains to think differently, this was a highly nuanced quiz with a seasoned quizmaster. When asked why he started the Amir Mahal quiz he said, ‘I like sharing knowledge and what better way of doing it in the form of an entertaining quiz’. 

Like every initiative of his and like every conversation I have had with him, I always learn something new. Afterall, in the school of life, we need people who can push us to learn and be better and the Nawabzada is the man to do that.