New Delhi, March 19 (IANS) The ongoing Amazon India Fashion Week (AIFW) Autumn-Winter 2016 here on Saturday observed Earth Hour 2016 by switching off some lights, even though it was not planned.
Lights of several sections at the ongoing fashion week were switched off due to the fear of short-circuit following a heavy downpour.
Several areas of the venue of the fashion gala were engulfed in darkness on the fourth day of the fashion gala, organised by the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) in association with Maybelline New York, at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here.
When IANS asked whether extra lights have been switched off to join global community and contribute to 'cooling' the Earth by turning lights off for an hour between 8.30 p.m. and 9.30 p.m, a source, close to the organisers, said: "No No... This is to avoid short-circuit."
The sudden change in weather with a surprise shower played a spoilsport for the visitors of the fashion gala as many of the fashionistas were seen making an early exit. And while the show area, stall area and other pop-up studios at the venue were lit up like any other day, some passages of the venue had no lights on.
Not participating in an effort to save the planet is a stark irony to the fact that one of the shows on the opening day of the fashion gala delved on climate change. Designer Gaurav Gupta brought the issue of climate change on the ramp through his collection 'Melt', in which he tried to create awareness about the effects of climate change and pollution on the environment.
Earth Hour, a symbolic global initiative organised by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), encourages people all over the world to turn off nonessential lights for one hour. It was first observed in Sydney in 2007, in order to send a strong message calling for action on climate change and environmental conservation. India joined in 2009.
