(From top): Jamil Khan, Naseeruddin Shah and Amit Shankar Nandi, vice president, marketing, Airtel at the IFA programme; Mrigya performs at the UNODC show; Myst owner Gaurav Mehra flanked by models at the launch of Mystical Wednesdays

For the arts

Naseeruddin Shah was the star attraction at a seminar on Indian theatre in New Delhi. The participants at the seminar on whether theatre is becoming ?elitist?, discussed ways of bringing theatre closer to the audiences. ?Sometimes I feel this fear. The magic of theatre is in the living contact between the performer and the audience. As the world is progressing, the need for this contact is vanishing,? said Shah.

IFA in collaboration with Airtel presented Katha Collage, a series of three classic tales in Hindi, directed by Shah himself. They were staged at the Kamani Auditorium in Delhi by Shah?s Motley troupe. Seema Pawa, Ahmed Khan, Khalid Muhammad and Jamil Khan ? the actors in the plays were present on the occasion as well. The three plays that were staged included Bade Bhai Saheb and the popular Shatranj Ke Khiladi (both written by Munshi Premchand) as well as Sankraman (written by Kamtanath).

Say no to drugs...

There?s nothing like a few rock bands to help send out a serious message about drugs. That was what the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime?s (UNODC) decided when it marked the international day against drug abuse and illicit trafficking. UNODC called in three rock bands ? the Them Clones, The Sahara and Mrigya ? to keep the audience well and truly entertained in between the heavier moments.

The chief guest on the occasion was the Union Cabinet minister for social justice and empowerment, Meira Kumar, who made a strong speech against drugs at the Kamani auditorium in Delhi. She also unveiled the South Asia Regional Network website on prevention of substance abuse and HIV/AIDS with a ceremonial click of the mouse. SARnet utilises the Internet to overcome limitations of distance and time to reduce drug abuse. Another speaker at the evening was a reformed drug addict who sent out a personal message of his own. ?I kept slipping back and often, I came across people who wondered what was the use of trying to rescue me from this abyss. But thanks to the grit and determination of my near and dear ones who never gave up on me, I am here today,? he said.

Magical nights

Even the heavy rains couldn?t stop Mumbai party lovers last week as Myst, the hip suburban lounge-cum-restaurant introduced the first-of- its-kind theme nights ? Mystical Wednesdays. The downpour, which stopped many office-goers from heading to their day jobs, didn?t dampen the spirits of the glitterati in the least, who turned up in large numbers.

Titled Belvedere Mystical Nights, the theme night is a way of attracting customers even in the middle of the week. The night will be the lounge?s regular feature with a platform for the party lovers to mingle and/or have a quiet dinner.

The opening night got off on a high note with pretty and vivacious actress Ayesha Takia dropping in with family and friends. Soon, models, photographers, designers, actors and other celebrities followed suit and by midnight, Myst was packed and many well-known names could be spotted nursing their drinks at the bar.

Among those who turned up there were Aanchal Singh, Jennifer Mayani, Inder Mohan Sudan, Shonal Rawat, Tarun Arora, Shawar Ali, Manoj Bidwai, Aseem Merchant, Ali Zaffer, designers like Falguni & Shane Peacock, Salim Asgarally, Nikasha, ace lensman Vicky Idnani, Tina Dehal as well as other faces spotted regularly at such dos. These included actress Shruti Seth, Puru Raj Kumar, Kiran Salaskar of Mocha, Ashish Raheja, television actor Gautami Gadgil and Ajay Aria among others.

Photographs of Delhi events by Rupinder Sharma and Jagan Negi