Mangaluru: The Indian Design School hosted its fourth ‘Design Celebration’ on Saturday,18th January 2020 – a monthly event where it invites award-winning, celebrated architects and interior designers across the country for conducting talks on design, projects and professional practice.

It serves as a platform where exchange of ideas and knowledge takes place to inspire young and creative minds to achieve excellence. The talk is generally followed by the presentation of the event sponsors.

On this event, IDS invited Ar. Namit Tandon, Uttar Pradesh as the guest speaker, with Zed’s Home Fab, Mangaluru as the workshop partner. Ar. Namit Tandon is a well known practicing architect and interior designer in the city of Lucknow, UP. He is the founder and Chief Architect of Axis Archi, Lucknow, an associate of the IIA and a member of COA. A graduate of MAHE, Manipal, he has been practicing from past 15 years with a team of three architects since 2005 and now with around 30 associates– giving him a strong insight into various aspects of project conceptualisation, design development and detailing. In addition, he has been in the field of architectural education by delivering lectures, being a design critic and participating in forums. With his independent practice, he is also a founder of Axis Arch- a learning institute providing students with certificate course in architecture and interior designing. He has a vast experience in designing interiors for hotels, restaurants, schools, jewelry showrooms, commercial and residential buildings, etc.

The theme of the event was “Interiors influenced by Indian Standards”, where Ar. Namit presented some of his best projects and the challenges behind each project to make it as per client requirements, cost-effective, highly functional by local cultural influence and low environmental impact. The talk provided the students with an in-depth understanding on materials, budget and site constraints, cultural influence and construction management. A question-answer session was conducted at the end of the talk which gave the students a further clarity on the finer details of design.

The Talk was followed by a presentation of Zed’s Home Fab, Manguluru by Mr. Zaheer and Mr. Zubair. They spoke about fabric Furnishings and its impact on interior design and also gave information on the various types of soft furnishing products offered by their company to architects and interior designers. Zed’s displayed physical samples of different types of curtain pleat stitching, and explained the blinds/curtain rods mechanisms and the details by means of practical and hands-on approach – the core value of IDS. Later on, the students visited the Zed’s showroom where they were displayed and detailed with different types of fabrics for upholstery, curtains, linen, carpets, blinds, mattresses and provided brochures of their new range of products.

The event concluded with Ar. Namit, Mr. Zaheer and Mr. Zubair being awarded the certificate of appreciation by the Chairman – Ar. Mohammed Nissar and the Principal – Ar. Ramnath Nayak of Indian Design School.

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Noida: India TV editor-in-chief Rajat Sharma has drawn sharp criticism on social media following remarks he made on air attributing Delhi’s air pollution partly to its geographical location and the Aravalli hill range.

Speaking during a recent episode of his prime-time show Aaj Ki Baat, Sharma said Delhi’s geography plays a major role in trapping polluted air.

“Geographical location is the main reason. Delhi is a big city and its shape is like a bowl, surrounded by the Aravalli hills on three sides. As a result, polluted air gets trapped and cannot disperse easily. Therefore, the problem of pollution in Delhi cannot be solved in one year or in any particular season,” he said.

His comments came amid a severe deterioration in air quality in the national capital. On Sunday morning, December 21, Delhi woke up to a thick blanket of toxic smog, sharply reducing visibility and causing widespread discomfort. The overall Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 390 around 7 a.m., placing it in the ‘very poor’ category, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

Dense fog and smog also disrupted flight operations at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA). As many as 110 flights were cancelled, while over 370 flights were delayed due to poor visibility. Of the cancelled services, 59 were arriving flights and 51 were departures. Flight-tracking website Flightradar24 showed that departing flights faced an average delay of around 26 minutes.

Netizens troll Sharma

One user wrote on X, “Rajat Sharma is saying due to the Aravalli hills, there is air pollution in Delhi. He is defending mining and destroying the Aravalli hills like this. How can these people call themselves journalists?”

Another user accused him of political hypocrisy, comparing his earlier criticism of the Delhi government with his current remarks, and wrote, “In 2023 he blamed Arvind Kejriwal for Delhi air pollution. In 2025, he is blaming the Aravalli hills because BJP is in power. Hypocrisy = 100%, Journalism = 00%.”

Others termed the comments an example of the “godi media” narrative, alleging that geography was being blamed instead of governance, industrial emissions, vehicular pollution, construction dust, and stubble burning. “When they fail to question power or policy, they conveniently shift the blame to nature,” another post read.

“Friends, what can one even say about today’s godi media? According to them, the reason for Delhi’s pollution is that the Aravalli hills surround the city from three sides, trapping polluted air inside. Seriously? So now Sudhir Chaudhary and Rajat Sharma want us to believe that nature itself is to blame? When they fail to question power or policy, they conveniently shift the blame to geography. Apparently, it’s not years of environmental destruction or administrative failure—it’s the Aravalli hills! Does this explanation make any sense at all?,” wrote another.

What is the Aravali issue?

The controversy arises over the Union government’s revised definition of what constitutes the Aravalli hills.

The decision has drawn protests involving environmental activists across Haryana, Rajasthan, and parts of the Delhi-NCR region, who have raised concerns that the new definition could weaken protection for one of the world’s oldest mountain ranges.

Under the revised definition, an “Aravalli hill” is described as any landform in designated Aravalli districts with an elevation of 100 metres or more above local relief, while an “Aravalli range” is defined as a cluster of two or more such hills within 500 metres of each other. Activists fear this could open the door for mining, construction, and commercial activities in previously protected areas.

Environmentalists argue that the Aravalli range serves as a natural barrier against desertification, dust storms, and pollution, and plays a vital role in maintaining ecological balance in the Delhi-NCR region.

They have demanded that the entire Aravalli range be declared a fully protected area with strict conservation measures.

Meanwhile, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav has stated that the new definition, accepted by the Supreme Court based on a Centre-led panel’s recommendations, would not result in any relaxation of mining norms in the Aravalli region.