Working model

Auditorium 18 doesn’t give anything away. Rows of air conditioner ducts lie piled outside,the dust on the windows don’t allow a glimpse inside. Teams of labourers — 115 in all — would lay the foundation together and cover the cracks in the wall. For one week only,auditorium 18 at Pragati Maidan,the hall,scheduled to host the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week,would be perfect.

The men are working on the premises to convert this barren space into a room fit for models,celebrities and fashionistas. The first task is to erect the first ramp.

Nikhil and his team are tasked with covering up the bare walls,walls from which the paint is chipping off. It is their task to make sure nobody sees the cracks in the walls. Much like how foundation covers up blemishes,their wooden boards will cover the walls and hide the flaws.

A cycle-rickshaw with five boys comes sliding down the slope,the one that leads to where the models will walk their walk. They shriek and yell — the first iron ladder has gone up. It is this ladder from which the light will shine down on the designers’ creations and their chosen models. Robin Marcus,in charge of lighting,has arms like a male model. He flexes his biceps as he pulls on the iron structure,the structure from which the spotlight will hang.

Down below,files of six men dump wooden boards that have been cut to size. Aman,new on the job,looks on cautiously. He has to learn how to level the uneven ground first.

Planks of wood have been allocated to erect 182 stalls. No stall will be built without an adequate platform. The ground at the auditorium is uneven. It is the constant banging,the constant hammering,that will level it out. For now,there is no sound of stilettos — instead,it is constant thumping.

The thumping makes way for pools of dust that settles in every nook and cranny. For this too there is a team,housekeeping,that will clean each surface,polish the glass,making everything shiny and new. It is also they who will be responsible for the food and beverages in the many lounges that will pop up and dole out free alcohol and canapés.

The first lounge that will go up is the Chivas lounge; there are three men to put together a cabin. “It will triple in size,there are going to be many here,” says Mohammed Nazim. He’s never had a sip of alcohol but he’s knows that the wine will make people happy. “Why else would the painters be asked to be painted in gold? Gold makes people happy.”