Hindustan Times (Lucknow) - Hindustan Times (Lucknow) - Live
It’s not just fashion to don a mask
Fashion fraternity of Lucknow supports a pollution movement initiated in the country capital by designer Gaurav Gupta
Winter is passing, and the smog issue in cities, including Lucknow, Delhi along with other cities which makes daily headlines every year in the months after Diwali, at present is on the backburner. Maybe it seems as if the pollution problem has gone away.
But it hasn’t. And the fact the people aren’t paying attention to it now really annoys many, including Delhibased designer Gaurav Gupta (inset), who has initiated a pollution movement in the country capital. Fashion fraternity of Lucknow too supports the move.
As a responsible citizen, Gupta plans to do something serious. He is starting a pan-India campaign that aims to raise awareness using popular faces across industries. “What’s the point of having a social standing if one can’t use it for a purpose?” he asks. Titled as The Anti-Pollution Riot Campaign, Gupta plans to hold community activities, parties, and use influencers from media, fashion and cinema to highlight the severity of the issue.
Regarding the movement and its intensity, HT City spoke to a few known members of fashion fraternity in Lucknow.
Designer Asma Hussain gives a thumbs up to the movement initiated by Gupta, “It is a great news and definitely is a need of the hour. Whatever support we can lend we should to the initiative. But, according to me, it is very important for the government to get involved in a larger manner if we have to do something of this sort in Lucknow. I mean so much can be done to bring down the pollution level in the city on regular basis. But general public will only understand when we have laws to combat such grave issues.”
Hussain also questions the traffic chaos that are one of strong reasons of taking city’s pollution level to extremes.
Another designer from Lucknow Arshi Jamal feels the step is motivating and wishes to do something on these lines in the city of nawabs too. “It’s a wow idea and coming from someone from our frat, it’s a moment of pride for me. Of course such movements do get noticed and attract a huge crowd. Lucknow too suffered a severe smog bout last year that could have been avoided with a little precaution. It’s a two-way story --awareness among people and support from government is required to bring the desired change,” Jamal adds.
“I can’t believe people are not talking about it. It’s a joke!” Gupta exclaims. “It’s like our tolerance level is way too high and we don’t value life that much. The pollution level is not only a one-time Diwali conversation.”
The fact that Air Quality Index on Feb 21, 2017 @ 04:00 PM in Lucknow was 340 with prominent pollutant being PM2.5 that is very poor at any given point of time.
Explaining the movement, Gupta elaborates, “The campaign will kick off in Delhi — starting with a gathering— where participants will wear antipollution masks. “Wearing these masks, putting it on social media… it’s all to make people realise the reality and urgency of it all. ”Other Delhibased members of the fashion fraternity too are supportive. Model Sonalika Sahay says, “There was a time when I used to send my kids to school in masks. I’m happy that as an industry, we are opening a discussion.” Designer Anand Bhushan of Delhi is all charged up. “The air quality in our city is horrible!” he says. “That a designer is making the effort to start a dialogue on this issue is remarkable.”