QUEEN'S ROAD: Selfies have just acquired a new dimension. Palm-sized clones of oneself can now be made to recreate memories, friends and situations.
And a few people from the city have already started to utilise this new idea for professional and personal reasons.
Model Manoj Rajpal, for instance, walks into meetings with top brands with not just a pictorial portfolio. He also brings along two three dimensional clones of himself to show his versatility as a model. The reasons why this graduate from St Josephs College of Commerce chooses to project himself this way, are entirely professional. “I would never describe myself as a self -absorbed person. I genuinely found this concept very unique and helpful in the way it helps me to present myself as a model,” says Manoj.
The twelve inch figurines show the exact measurement of his biceps, the width of his chest and rest of the physical attributes essential to his field. “Instead of taking off my shirt, I wanted to follow an ethical way of revealing my physicality,” he says. Both the times, he used the three dimensional pieces to win over modelling scouts, he was met with appreciation and curiosity.
Manoj keeps the figurines safely stored in designated boxes in the form of a portfolio kit. ‘Wow!‘ is the frequent reaction he gets from his modelling counterparts.
He owes all this to the founders of CloneMe. It all began when Sidharth Rathod, 24, got together with his uncle, Dr Kamlesh Kothari, to explore the potential of 3D printing. Dr Kothari was quite confident of this technology, having seen it being used sometimes during surgeries. “We got a very good response at our first outing, an art festival in UB city two months ago,” says Sidharth.
They started CloneMe by purchasing a prototype printer from Germany worth `75 lakh. Today they have 52 clients from different fields and have a studio at Mantri Mall.
One of their clients is 35-year-old Bharat Jetangi, who is preparing himself for the demise of his beloved dog. Owing to old age, Boney, his golden retriever, is inching towards an eventual end and Bharat wants to preserve his memory for posterity. Bharat is the busy director of a small IT company and is very attached to his loyal companion. He takes time off to take the dog to the vet but knows that a parting is inevitable.. “Once he is gone, it would make me feel energized and happy to be able to touch him and feel his presence. That would be the greatest gift,” says Bharat.
More about this idea on www.facebook.com/clonemeindia