MARCH 31: When his former wife came to town there was plenty of hype and little else. But then, Cindy Crawford's visit was meant as a marketing blitzkreig for a Swiss watchmaker.Hollywood star Richard Gere is here for a much more sobering reason - to promote awareness on the killer AIDS and raise funds for the cause, organised by an NGO, CASA. Yet, not everyone was convinced. At least, not initially.
A slight delay had upset gay rights activist Ashok Row Kavi, who was fulminating over what he thought was the exclusion of his organisation, Humsafar, from Sunday's glitzy fund-raiser at the Oberoi. The invite had not arrived till Tuesday, and the delay had Row Kavi thinking that Humsafar had been left out of the guest list as his organisation is meant primarily for gays. Turned out that he was, instead, the victim of an overactive imagination. When his invitation for the gala to be hosted by the US ambassador for Gere in New Delhi had come pronto, what had gone wrong closer home, wondered a worried RowKavi. "It is a good idea to raise awareness," he told Express Newsline, whom he had contacted before the `oversight' was sorted out.
Meanwhile, the star cast for Sunday's mega-event, called 'The Art of Giving', includes high-profile personalities from Delhi and Mumbai as well as big names in the arts and fashion industry. Presided over by actress Shabana Azmi, the occasion will see 350 invitees attending a dinner at the Oberoi, followed by a fashion show. Put together by Sangeeta Chopra, it will feature many well-known names who normally do not grace the ramp. The models include Zeenia Lawyer, Phreoza Godrej, Protima Bedi and Pooja Ibrahim. Says Pooja, "I have not modelled since marriage, but decided to make an exception since it was for a good cause." Though Lawyer has sashayed in front of the arc lights, she says it has not dampened her enthusiasm. The clothes have been designed by the best in the industry like Abu Jani-Sandeep Khosla, Pallavi Jaikishan and Arjun Khanna. Their contribution? Anauction of their creations. Says Khanna, "I have designed two outfits, one will be auctioned in Delhi. The other is a black ladies' outfit."
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
