Oberoi, who along with his family is involved with several charities in Chennai and Mumbai, said he was proud to be associated with this cause.

“I have been working with children ravaged by trafficking in Vrindavan for the past few years. It was a small movement but today I can proudly say that we have three schools and 3000 girls who we have been rescued. I felt great to be part of

this initiative as well,” he said.

The essence of the campaign by 'You can free us', an NGO founded by NRI philanthropist Sujo John, is a photo exhibition comprising 12 images created by celebrity photographer Subi Samuel.

The images are of a girl Alice (name changed), a sex worker based here and rehabilitated by the NGO.

The concept of the shoot, based on the theme 'Ashes to Beauty' depicted the transformation in the life of Alice, who emerged from the horrors of sex trafficking and has found new beginning.

Dressed in an-all white suit, Paes walked the ramp with Alice, who looked demure in an orange salwar kameez, a far cry from the glamorous avatar in the shots.

“Our country is the capital of human trafficking in the world. This is sad and it bothers me. My contribution may be like a drop of water in the ocean but I want to create ripples,” Paes said.

The models sashayed down the ramp in creations by designers like Tarun Tahiliani, Ritu Beri, J J Valaya, Sunnet Verma, Manish Arora, Shantanu and Nikhil, Rohit Gandhi, Rahul Khanna and others.