CHENNAI: When he was born, his mother, scared for his safety after a domestic dispute with her husband, gave him away to a French couple. And well, he came to be known as Satya Oblette, a renowned model whom we know today. At 28, he learnt about his past from his foster parents.
Satya, also the brand ambassador of Heart for India, a campaign started by Princess Francoise Sturdza, was in Chennai recently. At 39, he plans to begin the search for his biological mother at Puducherry.
His French parents lived in Africa for a while before shifting to France. “Soon, it wasn’t hard to figure out the difference. They were white and I was brown. When I was eight, I came to know that I was adopted,” he says. When Satya visited India after that, it changed him. “It was my country, I am Indian in my blood, but I was treated like a tourist. It made me very sad. But I never asked them about my history. I love them and I couldn’t bear the idea of hurting,” he adds.
Being brown with long, black hair gave him quite a few problems. Satya, initially, struggled with his modelling career. He was told that his complexion was a hindrance. “Once, I saw this 85-year-old Indian man who made quite an impression on me. He had grey hair and beard and looked great. That day, I made a sketch and went to my stylist. So my long, black hair got transformed into short blonde hair which I paired with a blonde, French beard.” And sure enough, in a week’s time, he began working for a famous stylist and with other top models when he was 22.
When he was 14, his foster parents told him a ‘safe’ story about his real parents. “Between 14 and 28, I was told a 1,000 different stories including the age-old story that I was taken from the orphanage,” he says.
Technically, he was given through a orphanage but purely as a formality, to get some legal papers in hand. We ask him about his inspiration for taking up modelling as a career. “Nothing at all. I wasn’t even passionate,” he says with a cheeky smile. “I was 20 and working as a mechanical engineer. One of my friend’s boyfriend was a handsome model but quite nasty. He asked me to give it a try and I accepted.” Now renowned and well-known, Satya wants to use his image for a better purpose. Being the brand ambassador for Heart for India is one such purpose. Princess Francoise brought him here to show him the work they do and also understand his point of view.
After Chennai, Pondy was their next stop. Satya had more to do there.
So, how did his foster parents react to this journey? He says, “Well, their perspective changed after they read my autobiography, Un Vie En Mille Morceaux (A Life in million pieces).”
Satya was to leave for Pondy the very next day. How was he keeping calm? “When I set my mind on something, I do it all the way. Same as my modelling career, I never gave up. As for Pondy, I love the place,” he adds. He says that sometimes it is scary when when walks down the street. “What if I cross my mother and I don’t realise it?”