It was an out-of-the-world experience for 36 Indian women, who had until recently worked as scavengers, as they walked the ramp along with some leading fashion models, dressed in outfits designed by them.

The women, who were manually cleaning human excreta only four years ago, amazed diplomats and top UN officials with the confidence they exuded as they walked amidst glaring lights and received a standing ovation from representatives of more than 150 nations.

The catwalk was the highlight of their visit to the UN, during which they interacted with officials through interpreters at a reception hosted for them on Wednesday night.

They were sought after by diplomats, who heard their tales of emancipation and discussed whether similar stories could be replicated in their countries.

The Indian models, who displayed outfits designed by the women included Marc Robinson, Indrani Dasgupta, Aryan Vaid, Sharad Kapoor, Tapur Chatterjee and Nethra Raghuraman.

The women rescued by Sulabh International Social Service Organisation from the degrading task of manual scavenging in Alwar, Rajasthan, earlier told diplomats and other dignitaries about the changes which made them for the first time feel like human beings.

Senior UN officials, including Secretary-General’s Chef de Cabinet Vijay Nanbiar and Thomas Stelzer, Assistant Secretary General, attended the event organised as a part of observance of ‘Year of Sanitation’ by the world body.