COURTS

Petition seeks provision of polling booths for relocated voters
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 4
An independent candidate from the New Delhi Lok Sabha constituency today approached the Delhi High Court seeking direction to the Election Commission and the Centre to arrange polling booths for the May 10 polls within a radius of 2.5 km for about 50,000 voters, who were recently “forced out” of the constituency due to a demolition drive.

The urgent petition was moved by counsel K. C. Mittal before a Bench of Justice B. A. Khan and Justice Mukul Mudgal, which directed the petition to be placed before a Single Bench tomorrow.

Petitioner Ved Prakash has sought direction to the Election Commission, Delhi Chief Electoral Officer, Centre and Delhi Lt- Governor to alternatively make arrangements for free transportation of these voters so that they can exercise their franchise to elect their representative.

Union Minister Jagmohan and Delhi Assembly Speaker Ajay Maken are also in the fray from here as BJP and Congress candidates respectively.

To enable these voters cast their votes, the petitioner urged the court to ask the respondents to notify the names of the persons who have been relocated.

He also sought directions for wide publicity in both print and electronic media to the steps taken by the Election Commission and the Centre so that the shifted voters were made aware about the new booths and transport facility.

Drawing the court’s attention to an earlier order of the Commission, the petitioner submitted that the shifted persons continued to be voters in their respective constituency even after relocation, if their names were not already deleted from the electoral roll.

Compensation sought for killed labourers

The Leader of Opposition in the Standing Committee, MCD, Mr Vijender Gupta, demanded that the dependent members of the family of the labourers killed in the collapse of an under construction building in Sadar Bazar yesterday be paid compensation of Rs 5 lakh each. He demanded a compensation of Rs 1 lakh each for those injured in the accident.

He has further demanded that the staff responsible for negligence in checking the unauthorised construction be made liable to pay the compensation to the injured and deceased. Besides, an FIR of negligence should also be lodged.

All the Municipal Councillors and MLAs in the Sadar parliamentary constituency belong to the Congress party.

He accused the senior officers of the MCD of ignoring the provision of the DMC Act.

The CBI had submitted that Gupta, who had settled the deal for Rs 6.5 lakh after initially demanding Rs 20 lakh, was arrested while accepting the first installment on April 29. The vehicle in which the accused allegedly came to receive the bribe belonged to the absconding cop. The two accused were arrested after a trap was laid on the complaint filed by Om Prakash Verma, the father of prime accused Ranjit Verma. Gupta had allegedly threatened to arrest the complainant and his daughter if he did not pay the amount. The complainant alleged that the Crime Branch SI had promised to dilute the charges if the amount was delivered in installments at his Devnagar office in Central Delhi here.

GLITZ & GLAMOUR

Fashion students stay on sidelines
Smriti Kak Ramachandran

Pria Kataria Puri’s self-expression. Tarun Tahiliani’s workmanship.

The ongoing Lakme India Fashion Week has disappointed at least one section of the society. Students studying to become designers are miffed that there are no arrangements made for them to watch the shows.

Their contention, “The FDCI talks of involving the stakeholders and making the business of fashion a serious one, then how is it that instead of people who are equally serious about it and want to make a career in fashion are left out”?

An “irritated” student who got in touch with us for “helping him get passes for the shows”, also voiced similar views. “All they need is famous faces in the front rows and that they have in plenty. If they are talking of a serious industry, then how can you ignore the future of it”, he questioned.

While we nod our heads in agreement, we wonder what the FDCI and the designers have to say!

Meanwhile, the shows and the partying at the LIFW continue to stay in the news.

Page three inhabitants and the all-important buyers, along with the fashionistas, are all caught up in the whirlwind that is fashion.

Day two saw Narender Kumar present his ‘Chai’, “which effectively conveyed the essence of his design idiom - practical, wearable prêt in a price range that lay largely in the very affordable”. In natural fabrics like cottons, poplins, chinos and denims he created a range of clothing comprising of pant suits, dresses and chic knit sweaters. Embellishment was done using visible seaming, hand painting, zippers, pleating and coin sized copper coloured sequinning.

The colour palette included sedate blue, mango, salmon and pink, maroon, army greens, and midnight. Débutantes Gauri and Nainika Karan showcased their love for Hollywood. Asymmetric hemline, corseted waists, noodle ties and folds and pleats were the focus of the collection.

Puja Nayyar’s collection made, “ a very strong statement about war – the unimaginable horror it leaves in its wake, its absolute futility, and the physical and emotional destruction it causes”.

It was a complex collection, with each ensemble composed of multiple pieces, layered, tied, buttonholed, bandaged and harnessed together. Fabrics like faux fur, fleece, cottons, web-like mohair knits were given disturbingly distressed treatments like ruching, quilting, pleating and patching. Though the collection was made almost entirely in white and ivory with only tints of steel blue, salmon and gray, it appeared “aggressive and aggrieved at the same time”.

Day three saw Wendell Rodricks showcase his, “collection that is extremely practical, wearable and at the same time flattering”. The shapes are relaxed and fluid, effortlessly gliding over body with an occasional gently fitted line adding the accent where required. Floaty tunics with asymmetric shapes, easy pajamas and pants, comfortable kurtas, sarongs, blouses with tie-up detailing, and light jackets were predominant, and often layered together in the same ensemble.

Day four had Monisha Jaisin, “effortlessly fusing together the incongruent worlds of va-va-voom glamour and sporty energy”. She created a collection that’s “alive, femininely seductive, and full of verve”. Using a sporty detailing in form of three-colour striped rib knit trims at the neckline, armhole, waist lines, and the length of the trouser seams, on the delicately embroidered garments, she created an entirely new look that was beautiful and elegant but had a distinctly young, fun look.

Tarun Tahiliani’s collection presented on the same day had Chinese cheongsam inspired printed and jewelled blouses, dresses with endless side slits, Japanese inspired pants, Turkish pants, pajamas and skirts. Dressy tee-shirts with engineered petra durra and Hyderabadi jewel prints on necklines, festive sarees with vibrant floral prints and sequin work were part of this collection.

Pria Kataria Puri on Day five presented her collection inspired by “ Gypsies, wanderers, travellers — people with lives so full, bursting with experiences, memories, and the wisdom of distant landss”. The collection “celebrates this opulence, sensuousness, self-expression and rustic stylishness in the combination of varied elements”.

The gypsy elements were added on with the use of elaborately embroidered and mirror-worked belts, braided fabric ropes, silver-jangling jewellery, and elaborate headgear with tulle drapes.

The current favourite Sabyasachi stood out for his presentation as much for his designs. He wove a story of, “an old house with windows shut tight, pealing faded wallpaper, old velvet cushions on broken couches, a trunk full of clothes, and a wistful melancholic girl”.

The look was of vintage warmth-in-winter and unorthodox juxtapositions. Frail velvet tops with puff sleeves, rose embroidered saris in georgettes, crochet shifts, layered and gathered cotton skirts with frayed ruffle hems, jackets with appliqués and feathered ribbons, patchwork blouses with duchess satin sashes, and A-line skirts with pom-pom embellishments constituted the separates.

Muted and subtle colours made the colour palette. The crowds are yet to forget the models who walked the ramps, eating chocolates and bread.

Rohit Bal’s creations were a lesson on how, “the dichotomies of life always balance out. Freedom versus bondage, the strict tenets that religion imposes versus the complete wantonness prescribed by the devil, and yin and yang must exist in equal measure”.

Inspired by nature Bal ensured that his models were natural too, and this he ensured by smearing their faces and hair with sand. On display were white cable-knitted full-length jackets, skirts and pants, black dhoti inspired wrap-flap pants and elaborately embroidered jackets in brown and burnished red. Capes and ponchos and crocheted wraps were used as accessories.

Day six saw Raghavendra Rathore “carry forth his royal legacy to his sartorial expression: strong, powerful, elegant and very composed”.

The men’s and women’s wear was stylish and yet simple. Slim long skirts and slender pants with long side slits were teamed with long shirts-coats, Nehru collared shirts, and backless blouses, held together at the front with fine ties.

The men’s wear range was very impressive, especially the shirts. Their stand-up collars, slim fits and square shoulders created an understated masculine look, which was extremely becoming.

Day seven had Krishna Mehtaput put forth her collection of “effortless, light as froth, playful and refreshing”. Emphasis was paid on good fits and finish, rather than complex and fussy designs.

Mehta presented lines of casual wear in form of skirts and blouses, dresses, jeans and kaftans. Evening options came in form of off shoulder dresses, blouses and skirts with frayed ribbon patchwork in berry, pink and black, with silver streaks running down their length. The final line was radically different from all the others by Mehta.

Daler Mehndi at his best

Talkatora Stadium in Delhi saw Daler Mehndi performing with renewed zest. Organised by Shakti Bhog and Ekta Mission, the evening saw actor Ranjeet, former Miss India Yukta Mookhey among others being felicitated for “appreciable work in their field”.

Numero Uno has unveiled the “short denim kurtas” for women this season. Also on offer are tops and blouses in “special whites” in cool cotton and linen. For men there are slim fitted shorts with diagonal, horizontal and vertical strips apart from denim shorts and kurtas.

Wrangler is offering, “super comfortable lightweight fabrics in stylish washes”. The are “mildly and subtly distressed denims whose features have been highlighted by special wash process and styling features”. 

Ganjam’s ‘Drop Collection,’ designed by the Japanese designer Kazuo Ogawa, was selected by the Platinum Guild International for Baselworld 2004. Baselworld, held in Switzerland, is the annual show for watches and jewellery. Ganjam being the only entry from the country was selected for its expertise in Platinum.

The drop collection, inspired by the fluid lines and languid flow of water, had diamonds shaped like drops and pave set diamonds to complete the look.