New Delhi, Tuesday, February 25, 2014
06 my city
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PHOTOS: WASEEM GASHROO
SingerMohitChauhanputup a grand performance at the finale of Hindu College’s annual fest in the Capital
AMUSICAL BLAST
Mahim Gupta
n mahim.gupta@hindustantimes.com
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here couldn’t have been a more befitting finale to Mecca 2014, the three-day long annual fest of Hindu College, than a powerful performance by singer Mohit Chauhan. The 47-year-old sang some of his iconic Bollywood hits in the recent show that was met with a great response from the campus crowd. Masakali from Delhi-6, Jo Bhi Main from Rockstar, Pee Loon from Once Upon A Time In Mumbai and Yeh
Dooriyan from Love Aaj Kal, were among the many songs that Chauhan sang at the concert. Not just that, the singer also expressed his fascination for Delhi, saying, “I love coming to this city. It is that one city where people from all over the country come together.” Proud as punch to see an electric atmosphere at the concert, Praduman Kumar, principal of Hindu College, told us, “It was amazing to have Mohit (Chauhan) perform at our college. The response of the crowd says it all.” With the exception of
Artwork titled Bird Cage
Art sets out on digital time travel
an overflowing crowd and some security breaches that usually accompany college fests, the show was a grand success. Anshuman Singh Sisodia, second-year s tudent at Shri Ram College of Commerce, said, “Look at the air around. It is majestic! Mohit Chauhan is the best. I am his fan for life.” Echoing similar sentiments, first-year student Jaspreet Salwan quipped, “I am speechless. Isn’t Mohit (Chauhan) a rock star? I would have not missed his performance for anything. It has been an amazing experience. Loved every bit of it.”
Aakriti Sawhney n
aakriti.sawhney@hindustantims.com
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The students had a great time watching singer Mohit Chauhan’s (top) performance
elhi-based artist Ravinder Dutt has been painting ever since he was a child. He feels art is something that a person is born with, you either have it or you don’t, you cannot acquire it. “As an artist, I don’t want to be bound by any medium. My thoughts might be centuries old but I live in a contemporary world which gives me a whole lot of opportunity to explore different media, digital being one of them.” He was recently awarded with the first prize at the All India Digital Art Exhibition 2014 by All India Fine Arts & Crafts Society for his work titled, Bird Cage. Dutt’s personal interest in history, art, culture, fashion and a longing to be born in the past led him to create this work,
which is a tribute to women in India and around the world. Digitally created on canvas, the work shows women dressed explicitly and their heads replaced with those of birds. These women are seen dancing in a plush courtyard, some are dancing inside a cage. “The work captures the opulence and grandeur of the Mughal era and at the same time, the
plight of the girls who were bought, sold, gifted, acquired or plundered at that time for obvious reasons,” Dutt says. With this work, Dutt has thrown an open question to the society – will we ever able to break our shells? Why are we all slaves to tradition, religion and the society? Aren’t we all mere birds in our own cages, with so many restrictions? The work is
part of a bigger series titled, Mughal Treasures, a part of which was also exhibited in Delhi in 2013. “The series was a result of seeing within rather than looking around.” He also seems to be inspired by the monuments of the Capital. “Delhi has been a great inspiration to me, especially its monuments. I see it as a city of power, politics and m odernity all intertwined,” he sums it up. CATCH IT LIVE What: All India Digital Art Exhibition 2014 ON TILL: February 26 Timing: 11 am to 7 pm Where: All India Fine Arts & Crafts Society, 1 Rafi Marg NEAREST METRO STATION: Patel Chowk on the Yellow Line
DELHIBLOGOFTHEWEEK
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Bloggers: Dimpy Kapur Shima Ahmad Aanchal Sukhija Akanksha Chauhan Tuesday,February25,2014
Delhi Style Blog
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andid, chucklesome, fashionable and fearless — the Delhi Style Blog or DSB may as well be a city stylista’s good guide. The blog, with 3000 unique visitors per post every day, and 200,000 page views in a span of 15 months, was originally the brainchild of Dimpy Kapur. “I got bitten by the blogging bug in 2012 when I was studying in London. The fashion week was around the corner and the blogging scene was hot with mega bloggers like Susanna Lau, Imran Amed and Steve Salter,” Dimpy says. She ganged up with her friend Shima Ahmad, a photography enthusiast, to co-blog with her. They started their first fashion week coverage with London Fashion Week the following year when Dimpy was working at the event as a “dresser”. The next stop for the duo was the Wills India Fashion Week in Delhi, where their friend Iram Mirza secured invites for them. Now, the DSB team (with latest additions: Aanchal Sukhija and Akanksha Chauhan) is a regular feature in all the happening city events. From latest news in the fashion c ircuit, to musical shindigs, the blog has a no-holds-barred approach to n
c ontent. “Delhi is famous for the ultimate faux pas of flaunting fake designer goods. Sometimes, we play a game of shots for every designer fake we can spot in a party, and trust me, we usually have to stop the game for the fear of passing out because of too many shots,” says Dimpy. The bloggers are aiming for a massive overhaul by March, including getting their own office studio and establishing themselves in the digital content space. Dimpy says, “Our blog posts are about brands that we personally trust and endorse. We do not run contests on our Facebook page for likes as we trust our role as
responsible social influencers. Therefore, all the online traffic we get is a result of natural growth. Brands that recognise this quality of premium positioning in digital marketing through natural growth, will invest in us as partners. There are no set models in the business of blogging, we are trying out our way of doing things and we have faith that we will succeed, our way.”
ARPITA KALA
A look at images from recent posts by the Delhi Style Blog team
BLOG URL: www.delhistyleblog.com n BLOGGERS: Dimpy Kapur, Shima Ahmed, Aanchal Sukhija and Akanksha Chauhan n KICKASS FACTOR: No-holds-barred approach to latest fashion updates and great styling inspiration If you know of, or own a blog that’s all about Delhi, write in to us with its URL at sahil.magoo@hindustantimes.com and it may just get featured!