Couture with a conscience
When ‘go green’ is a catch phrase that’s getting woven into our social fabric, can the flag-bearers of our fashion fabrics be far behind. Here’s the green quotient (GQ) of their couture, laid thread bare. . .
Couture wedded to ornate craftsmanship makes up many a fashion week. But creativity divorced from any cause makes fashion weak.

GQ@youngistaan
The day World Environment Day moves over from the ambit of ‘a question to be mugged for entrances’ and falls in the league of Valentine’s, Christmas, New Year, our efforts will stop. The day the query ‘what are you doing on Environment Day?’ sounds just as given as ‘where are you going this summer?’ our efforts will stop. Until then we have the proverbial ‘miles to go before we sleep’. Until then we wouldn’t stop nor they would they. Now, who are they? The environment friendly young brigade, which cares for the oceans, the glaciers, the nature, the mankind, our future.

Objet D’ Art
Master strokes
Hand-painted banners and calendar art may be entering a phase of lull in terms of popularity, but the Baghra brothers want to keep this tradition alive at any cost
As artists, they have two things common with M. F. Husain — banner painting and Madhuri Dixit. While their works are visible almost in all major fairs and cultural dos in the city, a lone portrait of the film star hanging at their small shop at an obscure corner in Manimajra bears the testimony of their other love. But no, the great master of modern art has no influence or whatsoever on them, though their path crossed once, a long time ago.
TERRIFIC TRIO: (L-R) Subhash, Naresh and Rakesh Baghra — Photo courtesy: Bheem Malhotra

Not a wasted effort
Using the artistic medium to create eco awareness are some tricity folks. A look at a few works…
It’s time to come a step ahead of environmental awareness; it’s time to embrace environmental activism,” says tricity’s eco saviour Gaurav Chhabra. A city-based social activist and an independent filmmaker (who made Green Warriors), he adds, “This is no time when slogans like ‘grow more trees’ works, rather it’s time to save the trees. More so, it is people’s responsibility to save the environment because the Administration is so busy with the mega projects and is using the NGO sector to hogwash the citizens.” 

Green ambassadors
They're usually playing brand ambassadors, but on World Environment Day, they turn ambassadors for the most important ‘brand’: Planet Earth

Mere paas Paa hai
The IIFA Weekend has kick-started in Bangkok. A sapling plantation was done by IIFA Brand Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan along with Abhishek and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. Having started the event with plantation

IIFA 2010 goes green
Consumer electronics firms Videocon and Panasonic-- the co-sponsors of the Bollywood extravaganza IIFA awards for the first time are planning to use the platform to promote their eco-friendly products. Both Videocon and Panasonic said, the theme for this years' IIFA award is-- 'Go Green' -- which provides a perfect platform to endorse eco-friendly products."We have been working on bringing out products, which are energy conserving and environment friendly.

Preity good
We need the environment. Preity Zinta is supporting any way to make sure the nature will not get lost. And for natures sake, she is taking ahead the cause 'say no to plastic bag'. And well, Preity even wore a tee that said 'say no to plastic'.

Echo friendly
Bollywood actor Hurman S Baweja- starrer Echo Of Eco, a documentary on global warming, was screened at the ongoing 62nd Cannes Film festival. The actor says such films give creative satisfaction. "I am honoured to be apart of a film like this that's supported by the UN and has Pan Nalin directing it.

Akki warms up
Bollywood star Akshay kumar has been named the brand ambassador of International Indian Film Academy's (IIFA) Green Global Foundation, which champions the issue of global warming through various international events.

United we stand
Today, an array of popular actors, actors and other popular, creative artistes are coming together to protect their planet.

• Turning a leaf
• Green Anthem

Path to redemption
This young artiste is fighting a battle for survival, not with arms but with his musical charms
Any musical form or tradition should never be allowed to be a closed-door institution. It should rather be purified and enriched through innovation and the codes and conduct rules of gharanas should be softened for better coordination to serve the sole cause of music,” opines Atish Mukopadhyay, the young sarod maestro, fighting to restore the grandeur of old dharupad from the verge of extinction.                          Photo: Parvesh Chauhan

Side Lanes
No news is good news
Chhat pat, maaza aur masaala,” that just about describes street food and news in India. The morning papers are a front page litany of beatings, bandhs, murders, rapes, robberies, scams and scandals. Add to these mud slinging, name-calling and false allegations and we have a treat of delightful gossip-cum-unimportant snippets that give us fodder for the day’s conversation. An incident in Austria brought Punjab to a standstill. No one even asked if it shattered the economy for the week in question. Maybe, it did not make much of a difference in the times of recession.