Sometimes work is the greatest healer. Indian couturier Gaurav Gupta believed that giving his life partner Navkirat Sodhi something to look forward to, something that would help her on her journey to recovery, would be the answer. So last autumn he began working on a collection that directly related the harrowing experience of a near fatal accident that happened last June in Delhi.
A candle was knocked over and Sodhi was consumed in flames. Gupta’s hands were burnt trying to put out the fire. Fifty-five per cent of Sodhi’s body was burnt, she underwent several surgeries and was given a 50 per cent chance of survival.
Days before he was due to be in Paris to present his autumn 2024 haute couture collection. “I didn’t know what was happening, our lives were completely shaken,” recalls Gupta on a video call from Delhi.
“She was in hospital two and half months and in September started walking again. So I started thinking that I wanted to give her something to look forward to because she was going through so much. I wanted to put a goal in front of us that inspires us to move forward,” he explains.
Their life-changing experience evolved into the deeply personal haute couture collection Gupta presented in Paris at the end of January, titled Across the Flame.
There were gowns reflecting the flames that engulfed the spirit, through to dresses that portrayed the different stages of her recovery. The metal mask and breastplate was for Gupta a symbol of armour and protection. As Sodhi said at the time: “In life’s fluidity, it is the mettle of the spirit that keeps us together”.
There was finely stitched distressed denim that seemingly represented Sodhi’s bandages, embellished with ghungroos, or bells, capturing, as Gupta explains, the sounds of the cosmic universe. Another beautiful ball gown was made of brocade they discovered on a trip to Benares in December, covered in a mantra about solace and strength that was repeated across the model’s face.
The show was a profound part of their healing and opened with Sodhi, who is a poet and performer, walking barefoot with a sheer dress revealing her scars, reciting a poem about her experience to the rhythmic sounds of the tabla.
“It was very important for us personally, and after eight months we felt a sense of release,” says Gupta. “I told her that if she didn’t feel comfortable, even at the last minute, she wouldn’t have to open the show. But five minutes before she took off her stockings and pressure garments [that she must wear] and a friend oiled her legs.”
An accident like that reminds you of the fragility of life. “There were multiple emotions, and I know that I went through PTSD because I was the primary caregiver throughout the whole process. I didn’t know I had it in me to be a caregiver.”
The pair used to call each other “twin flames”, not predicting that would become a dreadful reality – a voluminous draped orange chiffon gown wrapping twins in the show embodied this. “We’ve been together since high school, living together for nearly 25 years,” and he admits, “I wouldn’t have survived if something had happened to her.” Their universe completely shifted and Sodhi says they have bonded beyond the physical dimension. She is deeply spiritual, more so, Gupta admits, than himself.
“There were many times when she was not in a state of consciousness and therefore unable to practise her spiritual self, so I brought in a shamanic healer to work with us in the ICU.”
“We are each other’s sounding board in life,” says Gupta of their connection. “Creativity is a part of my life, and she has been an inspiration and my muse. We stand for something together, for life’s choices and not being defined in boxes.” So, this show was in gratitude of survival and a celebration of resilience.
The haute couture show in Paris was Gupta’s fourth, having debuted in January 2023. After studying at Central Saint Martins in London and then working for five years with the avant-garde designer Hussein Chalayan, Gupta returned to India and launched his eponymous label in 2005.
As a designer, he is non-conformist, working mostly with structured draping on a mannequin creating clothes of extraordinary sculptural shapes and lightness that in some designs appear to defy gravity. Examples include the memorable blue whirlwind dress worn by Cardi B to the Grammys in 2023 and the lime green twisted and draped sari dress Beyonce wore on the Atlanta leg of her Renaissance tour.
Just over two years have passed since that showcasing in Paris, “but it has made a significant difference to us,” says the designer. His eveningwear and demi-couture are now stocked in between 20 and 25 global stores, including Harrods, Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, Al Othman in Kuwait and Bloomingdale’s in Dubai. He is increasing his base of global couture clients each season from Beverly Hills to Saudi Arabia and has five flagships in India.
“In places like India there are no clear definitions between couture and ready-to-wear because the industry here thrives on wedding wear and that brings out a lot of couture. There is a resonance between Gulf culture and Indian culture, especially for large occasions when being extravagant is part of their lifestyle,” he says.
Gupta wants his clothes “to tickle their clients’ imagination; to make them think; to feel celebrated; I would love to share an expansion of minds when I am interacting with people,” he explains. “I want them to feel spiritual.” In this collection Gupta wanted people to see that “through the flames of adversity, we found not just survival, but a rebirth that redefines the boundaries of creation and love”.
RESULT
Manchester City 1 Sheffield United 0
Man City: Jesus (9')
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Is it worth it? We put cheesecake frap to the test.
The verdict from the nutritionists is damning. But does a cheesecake frappuccino taste good enough to merit the indulgence?
My advice is to only go there if you have unusually sweet tooth. I like my puddings, but this was a bit much even for me. The first hit is a winner, but it's downhill, slowly, from there. Each sip is a little less satisfying than the last, and maybe it was just all that sugar, but it isn't long before the rush is replaced by a creeping remorse. And half of the thing is still left.
The caramel version is far superior to the blueberry, too. If someone put a full caramel cheesecake through a liquidiser and scooped out the contents, it would probably taste something like this. Blueberry, on the other hand, has more of an artificial taste. It's like someone has tried to invent this drink in a lab, and while early results were promising, they're still in the testing phase. It isn't terrible, but something isn't quite right either.
So if you want an experience, go for a small, and opt for the caramel. But if you want a cheesecake, it's probably more satisfying, and not quite as unhealthy, to just order the real thing.
The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz E 300 Cabriolet
Price, base / as tested: Dh275,250 / Dh328,465
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder
Power: 245hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm @ 1,300rpm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.0L / 100km
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Know your camel milk:
Flavour: Similar to goat’s milk, although less pungent. Vaguely sweet with a subtle, salty aftertaste.
Texture: Smooth and creamy, with a slightly thinner consistency than cow’s milk.
Use it: In your morning coffee, to add flavour to homemade ice cream and milk-heavy desserts, smoothies, spiced camel-milk hot chocolate.
Goes well with: chocolate and caramel, saffron, cardamom and cloves. Also works well with honey and dates.
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
WITHIN%20SAND
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The five pillars of Islam
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.3-litre%204cyl%20turbo%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E299hp%20at%205%2C500rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E420Nm%20at%202%2C750rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E10-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E12.4L%2F100km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh157%2C395%20(XLS)%3B%20Dh199%2C395%20(Limited)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
The years Ramadan fell in May
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Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
Yahya Al Ghassani's bio
Date of birth: April 18, 1998
Playing position: Winger
Clubs: 2015-2017 – Al Ahli Dubai; March-June 2018 – Paris FC; August – Al Wahda
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
