30072026-LSTC-01.qxd 7/29/2026 7:37 PM Page 1 c m y b BTS SKIPS 2027 GRAMMYS BTS will not submit music for the 69th Grammy Awards, a move widely read as protest against the Recording Academy’s new Best Asian Pop Music Performance category. “We have decided not to submit our music to the Grammys this year,” the group said. TRIBUNE Reaching out Life As devastating floods continue to wreak havoc across Assam, Jasbir Jassi appeals to people across the country—and especially the Punjabi community—to come together in support of those affected. CHANDIGARH | THURSDAY | 30 JULY 2026 Aditi Rao Hydari, Vaani Kapoor dazzle at ICW Ananya Verma Hand in hand, Aditi Rao Hydari and Siddharth took the final walk for designer Jayanti Reddy on Tuesday, capping her presentation at the FDCI Hyundai India Couture Week 2026 in New Delhi. The couple fronted Reddy’s line The Gilded Era, a nod to Hyderabad’s heritage and the embroidery styles of the Nizami period. For the look, Hydari chose a peplum style bodice in gold and beige, worn with a sharara with zardozi embroidery, beadwork and sequins, along with a choker and sleek straight hair. Siddharth stepped out in an unbuttoned, heavily embroidered beige sherwani jacket over dhoti style trousers, adding a multi-layered necklace of pearls and emeralds. Reddy joined them on the ramp in a sheer embroidered top with tailored white trousers, and the trio posed together beneath the venue’s lit archways to close the segment. Vaani Kapoor, meanwhile, was the showstopper for designer Dolly J’s presentation of Brahm, a collection built around the shifting terrain and light of the Himalayas. Her outfit was a burgundy toned lehenga: an off shoulder blouse with a sweetheart neckline, crystal embroidery, and beadwork. The high waisted skirt matched the embroidery with a thigh high slit, and in place of a dupatta, a draped pallu ran into a long train. Kapoor stuck to understated jewellery, choosing diamond drop earrings and cocktail rings, with side parted waves and bronzed, dewy makeup. The Dolly J collection was built on a colour story tracing the Himalayas through the day: crimson, antique gold, ivory, silver and copper, with each outfit meant to evoke a specific hour, from first light to nightfall. Both presentations counted among the standout moments of the week so far, as designers leaned into heritage craftsmanship and traditional silhouettes while pairing them with familiar faces from Hindi cinema. Aditi Rao Hydari and Siddharth close Jayanti Reddy’s show, while Vaani Kapoor turns showstopper for Dolly J at India Couture Week 2026 ADITI RAO HYDARI AND SIDDHARTH amritsar WHAT’S HOT eat PARANTHA BURGER I S it a parantha? Or burger? Well, the best of both. The viral street food fusion recipe of Dubai paratha burger is now available in Amritsar . Roll Call, an eatery in Ranjit Aveneue that specialises in desi fusion stuffed breads and rolls has added paranha burger to its menu. Roll Call has vegetarian and non-vegetarian options. Trust Amritsar to level up the food game. play zirakpur SUKOON MEHFIL G HAZALS, geet and guftugu — Sukoon Mehfil is an unhurried evening of music and storytelling led by Utkarsh Sharma, weaving timeless ghazals with gentle narratives that move through love, separation, celebration, and quiet emotions left unsaid. The programme will take place at Ramada Plaza by Wyndham, Zirakpur on August 1, 6:30 pm onwards. chandigarh love BAG IT YOUR WAY A DD colour to everyday style at this Paint Your Tote Bag Workshop at Deepakriti Institute of Creative Arts. Learn fabric painting techniques to design and paint a premium canvas tote bag using fabric colours, brushes, and simple design methods — all materials included, and a hand-painted, washable tote to take home. At Deepakriti Institute of Creative Arts from July 29 to July 31. VAANI KAPOOR Alia Bhatt appeals for Assam Alia Bhatt has urged her followers to support relief efforts in floodhit Assam, where the toll has crossed 75 lives with lakhs displaced. In an Instagram Stories note, she called the annual disaster one that “still catches us off guard” and pledged to share ways to contribute to organisations working on the ground. Salman Khan and Bhumi Pednekar have also extended support to flood victims. ‘Art has a way to reach people’ Poet and artist Priya Malik feels that spoken word poetry found an echo in Gen Z’s protest when art found the streets Neha Saini Teaching language in Australia while participating in slam poetry competitions, Priya Malik could never have imagined that a decade later she would find herself at the heart of India’s Gen Z student protests—a full-circle moment that brought together her passion for language, performance, and public expression. As one of India’s most prominent spoken-word poets, Priya’s presence at the Mumbai Gen Z protests, with a giant placard that read “I like my Chai strong, but my Democracy stronger’, was a moment she would never forget. “It was life coming full circle, of course. I wanted to be a part of the movement not just as an artiste, but a former teacher. I understood that there would be repercussion, enough people around me told me that, but it meant something for everyone present. I wanted to be there for my son,” said Priya. She also felt proud that the Gen Z protests showed the world that ‘casual, conversational form of literature’ can become powerful political and artistic expression. “I once was invited to perform at Rekhta and faced a lot of criticism against spoken word artistes. Look at things now. Gen Z, I feel, is old school yet they do things their own way. They are compassionate yet aware of the politics and optics involved in the world. They seek honest discourse rather than just symbolic gestures. Memes became the new language of protest and social media a part of public discourse. Art has a way to reach people,” she says. In Amritsar, post the protests, on the last leg of a two year-long tour for her show Ishq Hai, she curated the show like a carefully crafted food menu, drawing inspiration from the rich flavours and culinary traditions of Amritsar. “I love to see how Amritsar does food, with so much passion, dedication and love,” she shared as she took a mouthful of crunchy Amritsari kulcha. Priya does poetry the same way. It had bite- size servings of her memories about her home, her mother and moving away from the family. The main course had servings of some heavy doses of love, ishq and nostalgia with her popular poems like Mujhe Pyar Nahi Ishq Chahiye, Ishq Hai and Jaise Tum Pyaar Krte Ho. The ending came with classic, bitter sweet inspiration from Amrita Pritam’s Main Tenu Pher Milangi. “I believe I share my love for chaa (tea) and conversations with Pritam. I love my tea with bit of ginger and she, elaichi (cardamom). Since childhood, I have always had a mic in my hand, performing other people’s poetry. It took me 30 years to take my poems out in the world. Most of my poems come from a personal space. But a lot of creative influences comes from reading greats like Suryakant Tripathi Nirala, Amrita Pritam.” c m y b KARAN & SUNNY DEOL Batwara 1947 trailer out Sunny Deol on Tuesday said his upcoming film Batwara 1947 is rooted in the idea that humanity transcends religious divide. The trailer of the film was unveiled on Tuesday afternoon. Directed by Rajkumar Santoshi and produced by Aamir Kha, the period drama is set against the backdrop of the 1947 Partition. The story revolves around a family whose lives are irrevocably altered as religious violence, fear and forced migration tear apart communities that once lived side by side. Yet, amid unimaginable loss and deepening divisions, the film celebrates the courage of those who chose kindness over hatred and hope over despair. “The reason behind it (religious divide) is that people forget their shared humanity, and it will stop only when every human being truly understands that we are all human beings first. I don’t believe in any post, whether it is a minister or a policeman, they are all human beings... And if a human being understands that there is only one religion, which is humanity, then nothing wrong will happen,” Deol said when asked about the continued religious tensions years after Partition. Veteran lyricist and screenwriter Javed Akhtar, who has penned the lyrics for the movie, said, “Every community has all kinds of people, so it is wrong to say that people of a specific community are always a certain way. In every community, there are some honest people, and some bad people as well, but this is common.” He added that the bad often become more visible while the ordinary ones remain unnoticed. Batwara 1947 will releases on August 14. — PTI