Actor Pranjal Saikia (second from left) and singer Zubeen Garg (centre) light candles at the fashion show on Monday night. Picture by S.H.Patgiri

Guwahati, July19: In the mellow light of candles, the stars shone bright. But brighter glowed the flames of optimism in the hearts of some very special people who gathered at a city hotel last night.

In a rare gesture, several leading personalities from the music and film world ? including Zubeen Garg, Biju Phukan, Pranjal Saikia and Mridula Barua ? interacted with members of the Assam Association of Positive People, a group of HIV positive people, at the function.

The get-together was held on the sidelines of Hope, an aptly titled fashion show that saw HIV positive men and women sashaying down the ramp in Dipankar Kashyap creations.

Altogether 65 HIV positive persons from all over Assam participated in the fashion show on the penultimate day of a three-day seminar on AIDS awareness and prevention.

For the designer who clothed the participants, the show was a lesson in guts and grit. ?The enthusiasm of these people despite battling such a serious affliction was a lesson in sheer determination. It was worth every moment working with them. The show was meant to inspire them to lead normal lives and show the world that they are inferior to none, but I don?t know who?s more inspired, me or them,? said Kashyap.

The fashion show was followed by a heartwarming interaction between the HIV positive people and film and music stars.

Little Mitali Chetri from Tezpur bubbled over with excitement while shaking hands with Zubeen.

An immediate friendship was struck between the eight-year-old and the Assamese pop icon as Mitali told her favourite singer how children of her age usually ran away from her. A visibly moved Garg hugged his young fan.

Mitali, who inherited the dreaded disease from her HIV positive parents, said, ?I have very few friends both in school and our neighbourhood. Children avoid me because of my disease. They fear being infected.

?There is still a stigma attached with AIDS. Mitali is not alone. Several others share her plight,? said Jahnabi Goswami, chairman of Assam Association of Positive People.