Autistic Pride Day: Model Pranav Bakhshi makes Autism his superpower

“My name is Pranav Bakhshi and I am 21 years old. I am a fashion model. I am autistic aur main kabhi haar nahi maanta.” With these words, we get a sense of how a conversation with Bakhshi would go – candid, honest and totally dil se. Today, on Autistic Pride Day, Bakhshi lets us in on a regular day in his life, his tryst with the fashion industry and what pride means to him. We are welcomed into his home by his mother and see him waiting for us in his basement gym – he is always ready before time and we learn that he never misses a deadline.

“I am happy about the celebration of Autistic Pride Day as more and more people will know about us and accept differences,” says Bakhshi who works with an international media company. His mother Anupama Bakhshi, an education professional, shares an anecdote and says that sometimes elders become patronising, taking away due credit from kids with autism: “While Pranav was adding pictures to an LGBTQIA+ related article, I started explaining the terms to him as matter-of-factly as possible. He turned around and told me he knows two gender-fluid fashion models and went back to work. My lesson: Never assume ignorance. Young adults on the spectrum would know things, and have a perspective uniquely theirs.”

Being born with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Bakhshi has learnt to categorise his day to the last detail. His day begins at 6.30am and he starts his fitness session at 8am. His workout routine consists of cardio and weight training. Then he takes his breakfast which consists of protein shake after which he gets ready for his online graphic design classes. Lunch is at 1pm and consists of chicken and sometimes dal cheela, jowar roti or rajma rice. A hot coffee in the evening is followed by veggies like brocolli, baby corn for dinner. The weekend are his cheat days when he eats loads of cheese, pizzas and Chinese food. “I eat a low FODMAP diet which is easily digestible,” says Bakhshi who stands at 5’11” and maintains a body weight of 65 kg. Bakhshi also has a whiteboard in a corner in his house where he has chalked out his life’s goals right till retirement (at age 60), including having a “luxurious mansion in south Mumbai with an indoor golf simulator set, a billiards room, bowling alley, disco room and a swimming pool in case I feel hot”.

Bakhshi was 19 years old when he landed his first fashion show for an apparel brand in 2019. Sharing how he prepared for the walk, he says, “I worked on the entry and exits in my mind and I was not nervous.” At this point, his mother points out his diligence in listening to the fashion choreographers and memorising what they teach. “He observes non-verbal cues too and makes note of what the person before him is doing,” she says. “I write in my journal everyday so that I don’t get anxious and hassled,” he elaborates. Music calms him. So much so that he is never without his portable radio set which is tuned to his favourite radio station at all times. He doles out music trivia like the alphabet and his favourite musician is Enrique Iglesias. It is this soothing mix of music and the routine of the ramp that puts him at ease during shows. One thing he doesn’t like is makeup but sits patiently through it as he knows it is part of the shows. When not working, he pursues photography with a passion and clicks silhouettes, monuments and nature.

The realness of the struggle of an autistic child venturing into a field as vulnerable and as volatile as fashion isn’t lost on his mother. People often ask the mother-son duo how they did it but Anupama has no one-word-wonder answer. One thing she is clear about, though, is that it was all about Pranav’s hard work and goals that he manifested. She says, “I don’t want to romanticise the journey; it was tough but we are proud of his neurodiverse identity. People have a predisposed idea of this condition and since it’s an invisible diversity, things only become better when they meet Pranav. He clears his auditions like any other person and I don’t make any special arrangements for him. He is only a model there like all others and it all comes down whether he is able to perform,” she says. Sharing their experience from designer Ashish Soni’s show at FDCI x LFW in March, she adds, “I understand things from the other end of the table also because designers need someone who can carry the show on their shoulders. Then when a label like Ashish N Soni puts that trust in you, the onus is on Pranav to prove that he can do it. We never raised him with any sense of entitlement that just because you have this [autism], you will have your way. I want the world for my child but we also have to prepare them for life.”

On his part, Bakhshi is more than ready to take on the world. “Next, I want to walk at LFW in Mumbai,” he concludes.

Interact with Etti Bali @TheBalinian

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