Ketholeno Kens, aka Leno, is a small town girl who dreamt big. She was a regular on the ramps of Bhima-pur, but never ventured beyond those terrains. However, things changed dramatically for this Nagaland beauty after she won the Kingfisher Supermodel Hunt, making her the first girl from the Northeast to pose her way to a space every model in the country would give a tooth and nail to be in, The Kingfisher Calendar!
The eldest of six siblings, Leno comes from a humble background. Her father works as a security guard in a company back home, while her mother looked after the six kids.
“Things were not always easy while we were growing up. There were a lot of financial problems, considering there was one earning member and eight mouths to feed,” she recalls. Leno started modelling in Class XI and gave most of the money she earned to her family. Leno’s parents were rather open minded about their eldest born walking the ramp.
“Where I come from, the concept of modelling is literally unheard of it. However, my parents supported my decision, even to model in a bikini if required, as long as it wasn’t vulgar. While I was in Delhi participating in the contest, back home they would tune into NDTV Goodtimes only to watch me on national TV,” says the five-foot-nine-inch model and an Economics Honours graduate. A few years down the line, she wants to get a diploma in finance and work for a financial institution or a bank.
Like most girls, the glitz, glamour and all things nice of the industry enticed her to step into the world of ramps and spotlight. “The gorgeous clothes, shoes and the locales, I love all of it,” she gushes. But then the glint in her eye disappears almost as soon as it appears. “There have been times when the unspoken word has made me realise that there are people who look down upon us (people from the Northeast). Though I have not had a personal encounter, it is nevertheless there,” says the former basketball player. “I keep my head straight, my mind focused and try not to let the things affect me,” says the model who feels her strongest assets are the very same features that make her stand out, her Northeastern looks. “The fact that I have dusky skin also adds to my appeal, making me, almost... exotic,” she smiles.
A conversation with her makes one feel as though she is untouched by the world, almost raw and pure to an extent. “This is the first time I have stepped out of home and I am working hard to learn the ropes,” says Leno. “I am enjoying every moment of it,” she says with a giggle. Speaking of the show and her journey in it, Leno found good friends in models Bianca and Pardeep and says that the show pushed her to the brink. “I have never worked as hard in my life as I did in this show. There were times when I wanted to quit but I pushed myself,” she says. Leno loves singing and dancing, but insists that she isn’t a social or a party animal. “I prefer peace and quiet to a lot of loud music,” she says.
