The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

COURTS

HC dismisses plea on stray dogs
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 17
The Delhi High Court has dismissed a petition seeking directions to the authorities to rid the city of the stray dog menace after the Delhi Government and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi assured the court that steps were being taken in this direction.

A Division Bench said the petitioner could move the court again in the form of a contempt petition if it found that required measures were not being taken in all earnestness.

On February 17, a Division Bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Devinder Gupta and Justice B. D. Ahmed had issued notices on the petition seeking that the authorities be told to take care of stray dogs in the city and penalise owners who did not look after their pets.

The petition, filed by the Rockview Apartment Owners Association through counsel Meera Bhatia, said that besides causing road accidents, stray dogs were a major source of rabies and about 100 other diseases. Senior citizens and children faced the maximum risk of dog bites, it said.

It also sought appropriate measures to check the population growth of stray dogs. The petition said dogs frequently strayed into the operational area of the Delhi Airport.

After 12 years, court refuses to uphold dismissal of conductor
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 17
Twelve years after an employee was chargesheeted for misconduct by the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC), a labour court here has dismissed an application of the department seeking to approve its action of terminating his services. The department has failed to prove the alleged misconduct of the respondent as no witnesses were produced, Presiding Officer P S Teji said in his order.

The incident dates back to 1991 when Balwan Singh, a conductor on Delhi-Jammu route, was chargesheeted by the DTC as 10 passengers were allegedly given tickets of lesser amount, though they had paid full fare.

The DTC had alleged that Singh not only refused to give the `way-bill’ to the checking staff but also bit one of them. The conductor also refused to part with the complaint book and tore the statement given by passengers, the DTC had charged.

Holding Singh guilty of misconduct, DTC’s Disciplinary Authority had removed him from service, remitted one month’s salary to him by way of money order and filed an application under Section 33(2)(b) of the Industrial Disputes Act.

CULTURE

GLITZ & GLAMOUR
From the sublime to the ridiculous: LIFW offers hope to one and all
Smriti Kak

After months of speculation, delay and exasperation, the venue for the Lakme India Fashion Week 2003 has been pronounced. Much to the annoyance of the Delhiwallas, this year the spotlight will be on Mumbai.

The Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI), the apex body of the Indian fashion design industry, had spent countless hours negotiating a tax cut from the state government. Their contention was that since the show is by invitation only, the government should not levy taxes, which run into a hefty sum.

With Mumbai having been chosen for the mega event, the city will play host to 58 leading designers, all set to participate in the event scheduled for July 18–24.

While for the masses it is just another occasion to watch beautiful faces and frames in designer grabs, the fashion fraternity asserts that it is an important annual event, conceived with the primary objective of creating business relationships and facilitating a dialogue between designers and trade buyers.

The National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA), Mumbai, will witness scores of air kissing apart from the Bollywood celebrities walking into affirm their commitment to fashion.

New faces on the ramp are something to watch out for at the LIFW. Models who have been regulars at shows will probably eat their heart out, the LIFW beseeched with calls for fresh faces has decided to oblige. Consequently, a model hunt was organised in Mumbai. The results yet to be declared, will announce the names of a few truly lucky ones who will share the ramp with the veterans.

On the designer front, they will be showcasing their prêt, ready-to-wear and ‘Diffusion’, a line between ready-to-wear and couture lines at the event spanning seven days. A total of 35 shows, exhibition, seminars, workshops and symposiums are all a part.

Meanwhile, Vinod Kaul, Executive Director, FDCI, continues to emphasise on the business of fashion. He said: “FDCI developed LIFW as a platform for designers and buyers to come together in an effort to encourage forward linkages with retailers, corporates, exporters, buying houses etc. Over the years, this event has developed into something even larger. It has become a meeting ground for all the industry players. The participation is only increasing every year. FDCI will always aim to develop this event further as a serious business event”.

The Lakme India Fashion Week 2003 is expected to have over 15,000 visitors from international and domestic buying houses and retailers, media, as well as sponsor and designer guests.

The venue at NCPA will have the main show area, an exhibition area, seminar room, the DHL buyer lounge, the Lakme beauty salon, an on-site media centre and café and a section for other sponsor-driven events.

The FDCI-DHL ‘Business of Fashion’ seminar series, a range of interactive seminars covering various facets of the industry as well as other fashion and lifestyle related activities, will also be organised during the week-long event. These seminars will focus on industry-related issues including the future of Indian fashion, utilisation of craft tradition for differentiation, retailing of prêt in India, role of fashion media and scope of having a fashion district in India. Hemant Trevedi and Wendell Rodricks are among the to-be-watched designers who will also take part in the ‘Lakme Grand Finale’.

Adventure gear for summer kids

For the kids, Freelook Junior has unveiled the ‘Adventure Gear’ this summer. The launch of the collection offers five themes-dusty indigos, the Hawaiian theme, country theme, the rescue team range and the romantic day series.

The range is thematically designed, that guide the colour stories and silhouettes of the collection and has a harmonious mix of styles, cuts, fabrics, textures and colours.

Dusty indigos include clothing for both girls and boys between 2 to 14 years. This theme primarily talks of sand blasted, faded and frayed denim wear, such as shorts, skirts, jamicans, pants and shirts. ‘Romantic Day’ series is a combination of medium washed textured denims in soft colours and tones of pink, white and blue with soft silhouettes for the little girls. The line is well garnished with laces, embroideries and trims to give it a dreamy yet comfortable look.

‘Hawaiian’ theme revolves around bright colours and prints in shorts, skirts, T-shirts and shirts for little girls. ‘Country’ comprises of checks, leather trims and floral prints. The ‘Rescue’ team is inspired from water sports, the range includes T-shirts with prints.

PCRA presents ‘Khel Khel Me Badalo Duniya’ Programme

Jewellers take inspiration from the Nizam

Antique jewellery continues to reinvent itself. Though not just everybody can lay claim to jadau heirlooms, thanks to the ingenuity of the designers, the old frayed look can be easily obtained.

A model wears jewellery inspired by the Nizam of Hyderabad

Making the most of the fancy for the jewels reminiscent of the blue blood, jewellery makers have started learning their lessons in history. Take the case of P. P. Jewellers, who have looked back to the Nizam’s of Hyderabad for inspiration.

Their ‘Nizams’ collection is traditional and heavy, consisting of the antique meena work and diamond polki work with stones. The collection also uses emeralds, topaz, sapphire, blue sapphire, ruby and pearls liberally. The price range, however, is just as kingly, from a “few lakhs to a few crores”.

The jewellers claim that the “Nizam’s jewellery is a unique and traditional collection of jewellery, which depicts the ambience, and grace of the royal tradition. This collection is based on the historical collection of jewellery, worn in the era of the Nizam’s”.

Infotainment fare with conservation message

Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA), an apex body under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gases, has recently produced a 13-episode infotainment TV programme, ‘Khel Khel Me Badalo Duniya’, to convey the message of oil conservation to the masses.

The various aspects of petroleum exploration, refining, research and usage, as well as the different aspects of its conservation have been well discussed and depicted in order to sensitise the people on this vital issue and motivate them to actively conserve precious resources in their day to day life.

In the programme, participants have been asked to choose a topic on the theme of oil conservation and address it in their own special way. Participants include schools and colleges students from different parts of the country. There are some episodes in which teachers and students, young and old, males and females, self-employed professionals and government employed professionals also compete with each other for better idea.

The programme is divided into four segments. The first segment, ‘Kuch Kar Diikhana Hai’, is a performance based round where the participating teams are free to perform dance, drama, mimicry, parody, etc. on the theme of oil conservation.

The second segment, ‘Duniya Badalne Ki Baat’, covers success stories of organisations and persons who have made a difference in the life of others through their determination and sustained efforts.

It is aimed at motivating the youths to emulate and excel in life. Rajendra Singh, who is involved in water harvesting projects in Rajasthan, is featured as one of the success stories.

In the third segment ‘Aakde Bolte Hai’, the participants are shown interesting facts and figures based on energy conservation.

The programme ends with ‘Ek Choti Si Baat’, in which eminent personalities including Jagjit Singh, Swapan Sundari, Sudhir Tailang, Javed Akhatar deliver a message on the theme of oil conservation. The whole programme has been conceptualised by a well-known TV producer Leena Mehendale.

The main anchor of the programme is Kishen Bhutani, a well-known name in the audio-visual circuit.

Input by Nalini Ranjan