Indian film, fashion celebs rejoice as gayness is decriminalised

'Historic!' That is how the film and fashion fraternities have hailed Thursday's Delhi High Court judgement decriminalising gay sex. Hailing India as great, they said the verdict would give more independence to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) community.

Hairstylist Sylvie, who is a homosexual, said 'this is a day to go down in history'. 'This is a day to go down in history that a place like India has come to terms with the issue with a big touch of humanity and definitely recognised citizens' comfort of being open about their sexuality,' Sylive told IANS.

Tarun Mansukhani, whose film 'Dostana' starring John Abraham and Abhishek Bachchan lightheartedly touched upon homosexuality, hailed the court's decision.

''Dostana' as a film only brought the subject into public limelight and had people speak about it and created a certain amount of awareness and acceptance among people - but what the court has done today shows that we do live in a great country,' Mansukhani told IANS over phone from Mumbai.

'Today, they (gays) have an identity, their independence - it's a great country,' he added.

On Thursday, the Delhi High Court struck down section 377 of the Indian Penal Code that called homosexuality and unnatural sex a criminal act. It said equality and inclusiveness were the tenets of the constitution.

Director Onir, who handled the gay issue in his film 'My Brother Nikhil' in a realistic way and received critical appreciation for his endeavour, says the court's verdict sends out a strong message to everyone.

'At the moment, this is a judgement that has been passed by the Delhi High Court. So it doesn't stand for the entire country. The government is still to approve it and implement it, but a very strong message has been sent. It's a very big step and I hope that the legislature implements it,' he said.

'I do feel that films have contributed as far as acceptance is concerned. But in our films, homosexuals have mostly been portrayed as caricatures and the main issue has not been tackled. So I won't want to take away the credit of this judgement from people who have really worked for it for years. They are the real people,' he added.

Another critically acclaimed filmmaker, Madhur Bhandarkar, who touched upon the homosexuality issue in his successful movies 'Page 3' and 'Fashion', says it's high time society opened up and created space for these people.

'It is a historic decision and brings big relief to the gay community. They have been fighting for years for their rights and finally the day has arrived. I believe now society has to shed its inhibitions and accept them because it takes a lot to change the mindset of people which indeed would be a slow process,' said Bhandarkar.

Esha Koppikhar is one of the rare Bollywood actresses to have played a homosexual in 'Girlfriend'. She feels the verdict will help homosexuals come out of the closet and lead a normal life.

She said: 'People have a right to choose their partner as life is beautiful and you want to be with someone you love irrespective of your sexual orientation.

'It's good that now homosexuals would be open about their sexual preferences unlike before when they used to be shy about it. It would have been difficult for them otherwise. After all, who wants to live a life of dual identity?'

Fashion designer Parvesh is also happy for the gay community. 'Indian culture was very elaborate from ancient times and sexuality is a very personal decision. Hence it is good to know that government has finally opened its eyes on section 377.

'It is a great achievement,' he said.

Standup comedian Vir Das said: 'I think in the last five years our courts have really been like rock stars with their verdicts. They have meted out justice intelligently.

'I wouldn't give Hindi films too much credit. I think Hindi films tend to handle everything lightly. So I feel they do not have no bearing on how we view gay rights at all.'

Expressing her happiness over the court's decision, actress and gay activist Celina Jaitley said: 'With great pride and tears I would like to congratulate the entire LGBT community. Homosexuality is now legal in India. Our long battle is won and with pride can the gay walk with their heads held high.'

Manavendra Singh Gohil, an erstwhile Gujarat royal who is gay and an activist at that, said it would be 'a very good idea to call this day as the 'Queer Independence Day of India''.

'I want to congratulate all intellectuals and activists who have been working actively for the gay community. This verdict also sends out a clear message to other countries who still believe that India is a land of bullet carts and snake charmers. We will be governed by reasons of realities alone and now our morality will be guided by these realities,' he said.

Indian Apparel & Fashion Trade Fairs & Trade Shows in India

The Indian garment industry is the most opportune trade sector. Fashion clothing and garments trade expositions give a common platform to the traders, manufacturers, suppliers and exporters to display the best of the designer, Indian, and Indo-western garments in the Indian Cloth industry. The information given below will serve as a directory to the upcoming apparel and fashion trade shows, exhibitions and conferences in India.

Upcoming Apparel & Fashion Trade Shows in India

Moms Dads & Kids Expo
Start Date	:	2009, July 02
End Date	:	2009, July 06
Venue	:	Valluvar Kottam, Chennai, India
Event Profile	:	Moms Dads & Kids Expo is one of the leading trade fair for fashions, apparels, home needs, education, investment(The Family Show). This four day event will be held between 02 to 06 July 2009 at Valluvar Kottam. The exhibition is being organized by Imi Promos & Eventz Pvt. Ltd.
Organizer	:	Imi Promos & Eventz Pvt. Ltd.

---

Fashionexpo-2009
Start Date	:	2009, July 03
End Date	:	2009, July 05
Venue	:	Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium, Kochi, India
Event Profile	:	Fashionexpo-2009 is the South India's premier exhibition for Fashion Apparel industry. This is the largest platform where all the buyers and sellers can meet under one roof in Kochi. The exhibition will be held between 03 to 05 July 2009 at Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium.
Organizer	:	Admakers Expo Company

---

India International Garment Fair (IIGF)
Start Date	:	2009, July 15
End Date	:	2009, July 17
Venue	:	Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, India
Event Profile	:	The India International Garment Fair (IIGF), one of Asia's largest and most popular apparel and clothing trade shows is going to be in New Delhi. A perfect amalgamation of fashion, design and quality, the 37th India International Garment Fair is the ultimate destination for global fashion buffs and textile industry giants.
Organizer	:	Apparel Export Promotion Council

---

Bangalore Fashion Week(BFW)
Start Date	:	2009, July 23
End Date	:	2009, July 26
Venue	:	The Oterra, Bengaluru, India
Event Profile	:	Bangalore Fashion Week(BFW) is a premier event in India. The main objective of BFW will be to create business relationships and to facilitate a dialogue between designers and trade buyers. This is the First Edition of Bangalore Fashion Week(BFW) will be held from 23rd to 26th July 2009 at Bangalore.
Organizer	:	Dream Merchants, Bangalore

Manish Malhotra gives Amrita Rao a “shortkut” to glamour!

Ace indian fashion designer Manish Malhotra owns the credit for creating many a memorable looks for Bollywood’s leading ladies over the years. Most actresses in the industry swear by this fabric magician and implicitly trust his vision as far as defining their look is concerned. The man responsible in giving Urmila her sex-kitten tag in Rangeela has in his 15 years worked with various various A-list stars, which include include Kajol, Karisma Kapoor, Rani Mukerji and Preity Zinta.

The latest star to join this bandwagon is Amrita Rao! Amrita has gone completely glam in her next outing - ShortKut.

She willingly gives all the credit to her favourite indian fashion designer Manish Malhotra! “Manish knew from day one how he wanted to style me. In ShortKut you will see me in bikini tops, short skirts, big diva-esque hair and sultry eyes. I had a blast trying this look out! We sat over the look for an entire week discussing how we wanted to play it. I’m so happy with the result. I couldn’t believe the transformation when I saw myself in the mirror!” laughs Amrita.

ShortKut will see a worldwide release on July 10th by Indian Films- Studio18

Beach Wedding Dresses

Why not get married on the sands with the waves lashing against the shore. Yes, a beach wedding instead of the same old in door wedding ceremony functions… And where can you opt to get married? The sands of Goa offer a pleasant setting for the ceremony with the honeymoon, with a lot of options.

If that is what you have decided for then the next probable question is: What about the beach wedding dresses? There are designers who specialize in wedding dresses for the beach. These are generally in lighter shades with a matt effect, rather than the general heavy gold and silver work. In fact, these dresses are far lighter in weight.

In case, you do prefer something heavy, a designer would usually talk you out of the option, as any kind of heavy embroidery and bead and sequence work would tend to spoil because of the sand particles.

For the day wear the recommended options would be white, cream, peach, pink, and the other pastels with pearls or light shimmer embroidery with a simple head gear. If you are looking at theme wedding then you could opt for something totally different; that is if you are adventurous enough…

Probably a bikini wedding dress with a sarong to keep the protocol of decency for the parents, aunts and uncles… Well, its all about joy and celebration…

Indian Vintage Wedding Dresses

There is not doubt that the contemporary style is all about innovation with a lot of blending of styles. But really speaking, the vintage styles are unique and still stand out. There was a perfect fusion of glamour and sophistication. If you looking into the wedding albums of your parents, grandparents and others, who belong to a coupe of generations prior to the presence, you would notice how beautiful the bride in the picture looks.

The typical Indian vintage wedding dresses were the ghagra choli. This is a long flowing skirt with a long scarf that was draped on the head of the bride. Commonly the brides wore various shades of red, as red is considered the symbol of being married. The garment would be adorned heavily with gold embroidery work.

Today, though brides continue to wear the ghagra choli, yet the styles are so different. They are in various indo-western cuts. They do look pretty, but yet the age-old designs and patterns look far better.

One can still get the indian vintage wedding dresses; especially from the older tailoring shops. One can go down the local markets where the old tailors and designers have their workshops. Their handiwork is exquisite and is value form money. In fact, most of them charge less than the today’s designers, who are ready to make a vintage style at sky-rocketing prices.

Beauty Tips For the Indian Bride

Indian weddings are quite different from other country weddings and require lots of preparations. There are zillion of things to do. Even brides are busy in many things. But between such hectic schedules do remember not to forget about your beauty routine.

Beauty is the greatest asset of bride and without it all other things are worthless. To look beautiful is the hardest desire of every Indian bride. Even dressing comes after it. A wretched look can turn your wedding into a nightmare. There is several beauty enhancing angles but its always good to start with basic. Below are mentioned staple beauty regimes following which half of your work is done towards attaining beauty.

1) The major thing to be done is to set your budget. There are variations in prices in indian bridal beauty packages, thus it’s important to know your budget.

2) Fix appointments in salons 4 to 6 months in advance in order to avoid any hindrance prior to indian wedding.

3) Before only discuss with your professional what type of haircut suits your face. Also ask for color that will best suit your hairs.

4) There are few treatments that need to start few months in advance to wedding. If they are started one week or few days in advance does not bring fruitful results. Thus it is essential to start them before. Here are they:

I) Nail toning treatment. It is good for healthy growth of nails as well for making them look good.

II) Make up exercise. Start applying different types of make up to know which one suits you the best. It is a good practice to avoid any disaster later.

III) Skin care treatment. To avoid skin problem it’s good to start skin care treatment. It will also aware you of products that suit your skin.

5) Physical fitness is equally important for hitting beauty. For that take a diet containing low fat. Also drink loads of water and do regular exercise.

6) Relaxation is very important for bringing glow to the body. Stress free body is a source of energy. Thus everyday takes time for relaxing your body. This you can do by sitting at one place, closing your eyes and take a deep breathe deeply. Follow it and see results later.

Practicing these simple beauty tips will not only contribute to a healthy and beautiful body for your wedding but for the entire life. They make bride look most beautiful on her wedding, which she deserves.

Shopping Guidelines for Indian Wedding

Indian wedding is a very grand occasion, which requires a lot of planning. Shopping is a very great part of it, as for it’s every ceremony shopping is must. And shopping is directly linked to budget, thus should be done wisely. Referring shopping guide becomes must in such situation as there are chances certain things could be missed if proper planning is not done.

Indian Wedding shopping is not just limited to dress and accessories but includes many other things and is the most adventurous part of the entire event. It is essential to check that everything is bought and nothing is left. To ensure this, refer below written points, which include a checklist of all the things to be bought for the wedding.

India Wedding Shopping Guidelines

First of all set budget. Stick to what you have decided and do not exceed it except for negligible fluctuations. For preparing a budget set aside expenses for items like clothes, jewelry, cosmetics, upholstery, household items, gifts, etc. This will rule out over expenditure.

Another important step is to make a list of items need to be taken for bride, groom, relatives and family members. This should be done before going for shopping and of a great help.

Make a list of items will be needed by ‘would-be-couple’. The list for the bride and broom includes items like clothes, accessories, jewelry, cosmetics, toiletries, etc.

Indian Wedding Mandap comprises a great part of wedding. Do make listing of religious items separately required during the Pooja and Havan so that there is nothing missing at the Mandap. Take help of your priest to avoid last minute hassles.

Wedding shopping should be done from single trusty shop. It helps to avail a hefty discount as well as face no problems in exchange or returning.

When it comes to shop for dress or accessories for the other side family it’s better to take them along with you and purchase things of their choice.

Last but very important point is to keep a receipt of items you have purchased. It helps in keeping a record of your budget and also helps in exchanging or returning of items, if needed.