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Motionless and emotionless: Not a model life for these art posers

Hindustan Times, Chandigarh | BySrishti Jaswal
Sep 20, 2018 05:54 PM IST

The daily-wage art model at Government College of Art, Sector, 10 are paid ₹45 for semi-nude and ₹35 for dressed pose.

Do not ask about my life! Your story will fall short of words, said Kaushlya, who is working as a daily-wage art model at the Government College of Art, Sector 10, for last 40 years.

Kaushlya, 65, first posed as an art model at the age of 25. She was introduced to the job by her neighbour in 1978. Back then, she used to work as a domestic help in the city and was offered 5 for posing nine hours a day.

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On being questioned why she took the job, she said, “I wanted financial help as I had to shoulder the responsibility of my in-laws and four children. I used to pose as an art model and clean houses in the morning and evenings to raise money.”

At present, art model are being paid 45 per hour for semi-nude pose and 35 for dressed pose.

‘People do not find our job respectable’

Art model Rameshwar, 52, joined the profession 16 years ago. He mostly poses semi-nude for the students.

Rameshwar, who hails from Amethi, said, “I was paid 10 per hour in 2002. Earlier, people used to pose nude, but nobody poses nude now. Once in a while, some senior professors ask us to do it, but nobody agrees.”

“At times, people make nasty jokes about my profession as they do not find the job respectable.”

Another art model Jagdish Prashad, who has been working as an art model for last 35 years, said, “A social stigma is attached to this job. People do not consider me as a decent person.”

“Log bolte hain thore se paison ke liye nanga ho jata hai ye, ganda aadmi hai ye (People say I pose nude for a small sum of money, I am a bad man).”

In the past, women used to pose nude. They were paid 22 per hour for posing nude in the 1980s. Art model Kaushlya said, “Because of poverty, ladies used to pose nude, but nobody does it now.”

Delayed payments, but no complaints

Kaushlya said back then art models used to be paid in cash on every Friday. “For the work I am doing now, I will be paid after two months. The delay is because of the bank system.”

“My aim is to collect 15,000 by December as I have to get my eyes operated. The doctors told me the surgery is free, but I will have to pay for the lenses.”

Differently abled Sunita, who works as an art model, said, “I cannot work because of polio. I am grateful to the college authorities that hired a tenth fail woman as an art model. I do not find the job exciting, but at least I am independent.”

When asked about how she feels about her sculptures and paintings, she said, “I feel like the picture will start talking. Most of the painting are so real.”

Students support art models

The students of the college are very supportive of the daily wage art models.

Gurinder Singh, a second-year student of the college, said, “Santosh, an art model, fell terminally sick a few years ago. The senior students of the college arranged his medicines and took care of his medical expenses. The students also arranged a hostel room for him.”

Japleen Kaur Khurana, a masters student, said, “I am watching these models for the last six years. I cannot imagine how hard their life is.”

The models have to report to the class at 9am. They are asked to stay still to pose till 5pm. They are given a tea break from 1 to 2pm.

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