Hyderabad:
Thursday evening saw a gathering of people who one would assume were strangers; but in real life they have known each other for as long as they can remember.
Miss India (1972) and mother-in-law of actress Vidya Balan, Salome Roy Kapoor, designer James Ferreira, make-up artist Cory Walia, jewellery designer Suhani Pittie, fashion designer Shravan Naresh, Shilpa Reddy and others were present at the launch of the Deccan Institute of Design (DID), which they will be part of when it starts operations.
“I last came to Hyderabad many, many years back. I used to be a model and we had come to the city for a show,” says Salome, who dances, choreographs, directs plays, fashion shows and also conducts grooming classes. Her role as a visiting professor would be to conduct grooming sessions, which include deportment, etiquette, table manners, body language etc.
Salome’s sons — Siddharth, Kunaal and Aditya — are all connected with Bollywood and talking about the latest addition to her family from the industry, Vidya Balan, she says, “Vidya is down-to-earth and a lovely daughter-in-law. There have been times when people have tried to get in touch with Vidya through me regarding some event or something else, but I have never encouraged that. She has a busy schedule and I can’t interfere.”
Salome has known the “talented James” (Ferreira) for over 40 years, having also been the one to give him his first break. “It was right after college and I was very nervous, but she saw my work and pretty much gave me my first job,” says James, who is also the creative head of the institute.
DID is an institute by Mohd. Azhar Mujahid and Ayesha Azara Mujahid of the Lakhotia Institute of Fashion Design. Talking about the institute, James says, “Our (institute’s) aim is to make Hyderabad the fashion capital of South India. Not only is Hyderabad the most happening place down South, but it also has the most number of affluent people. We are going to take people back to the roots.
There are 108 ways of wearing a sari, 45 ways of wearing a turban and 60 styles for wearing a dhoti; but in this fast-food age, we have not given our Indian traditions much importance and we hope to change that.”
source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Nation> Current Affairs / by ADC / May 03rd, 2014