Ramdev can't make gay people straight: Transgender model
Anjali Lama, who is the first transgender model to walk at the Lakmé Fashion Week, said that she has heard that yoga guru Baba Ramdev claims he can change gay people to straight. "He can keep trying but that's never going to happen," added Anjali. However, she added that she is fond of the affordable products from Ramdev's Patanjali brand.
A model from Nepal, Anjali Lama has crystal clear skin. Ask her the secret behind it, the 32-year-old blushes and reveals that water is her magic potion. "I can't afford pricey beauty brands," she says, adding her fondness for Patanjali's range. Lama is a transgender; the first from the 'other' category to walk at the Lakme Fashion Week. "I have heard he says that he can change gay people to straight," says Lama, referring to Ramdev Baba. "Woh marte dam tak koshish karle woh kabhi nahi hoga.  [He can keep trying but that's never going to happen."] Lama has all the attributes to pass off for a top notch ramp model. She is tall, skinny (she attributes her figure to skipping 500 to 600 times a day), has high cheekbones and a poise that makes you want to straighten your spine. If anything, it's only the voice that could give her away. Still she has been hit on by men. For those who mistake her for a woman, she reveals her true self. "I never lie," she says. "It's one of my mother's diktats along with 'Don't give up'."Lama's resilience is inspiring and impressive. Born Nabin Waiba, the fifth of the seven children to a farmer residing in the tiny village Nuwakot, Nabin came out in 2003 after moving to Kathmandu. Nabin wanted to be called Sonali - after Bollywood actress Sonali Bendre - but her mother at the non-governmental organisation Blue Diamond Society recommended Anjali. After Nepal Fashion Week (NFW) crushed her modelling dreams by rejecting her for three consecutive years, Lama came to Mumbai last year to give LFW a shot. "It was my dream to walk for NFW," she said. "Because of my gender I wasn't picked." Also Read:Lakme Fashion Week welcomes a gender neutral model on its runway for the first time