The first day of the Lakme India Fashion Week Summer Resort 2011 posed an oft-asked question. Should fashion reflect reality? Or should it remain what it is, unfettered by any earthly considerations, a flight of fancy? Can it exist in a “pure” state? Or does it, unlike other forms of art, have to bow down to the considerations of the market?

She came, she saw — and after enjoying her conquest— flew home to Paris. Meet Anabelle Varma, the French songstress who has been the talk of the town for her Hindi language album Tumko Dekha.

When J.R.R Tolkien wrote, “Not all those who wander are lost”, he may have have very well meant photographer Richa Arora. An IIM-Ahmedabad alumnus who discovered that photography had crept a little too deep into her bloodstream, Richa now specialises in capturing the peculiarly quiet nature of places that people believe to be the most un-quiet.

Among both veterans and first-time participants at the recently concluded Mumbai Marathon, the name Amit Sheth creates instant recognition. “Isn’t he the ultra marathoner?” being the most common.

There was a message that 2010 held for the Hindi film industry: Fresh perspectives welcome. Some of the most acclaimed films this year were helmed by first time directors or featured new faces.

Consideration. Bijoy Jain’s creations rival the landscapes they are set in, whether it is the mountains of Uttaranchal or a coconut plantation in Alibag.

Truth is sometimes stranger than fiction. And for all those who thought the plot of the sci-fi film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind — in which Jim Carrey toys with the decision to have painful memories of a split from Kate Winslet erased from his mind — was a little too unbelievable, progress has once again proved that nothing is impossible.

In the theatre tradition, the sutradhar’s role is all-important. From controlling the puppets’ strings to helping a story along, the role of the narrator is celebrated in Indian theatre.

At first glance, you are confronted by what seems like a classic image: a stark white cloth flutters on a clothesline, with a stormy blue swirling sky as the backdrop. Then you see that the clothesline is supported by a donkey at either end. Another still life melds the expected — a pedestal with a bottle — with the startlingly mundane, a briefcase and a telephone. Welcome to the proscenium of the absurd.

Women have traditionally been considered the more inquisitive sex. But when it comes to snooping on your partner, men aren’t that far behind either, as the usage of a new “snooping tool” on Firefox, called Firesheep, has revealed. It is claimed that Firesheep allows users to keep tabs on the social networking contacts of others and reports say that men are using the tool to keep an eye on their partners.