Demi Lovato, Freida Pinto, Vidya Balan and Vivek Oberoi join the Global Citizen India movement to end extreme poverty by 2030 - Global Citizen India

Global Citizen India today announced that top Indian and international artists Demi Lovato, Freida Pinto, Vidya Balan and Vivek Oberoi have committed their support to the Global Citizen India movement which has already mobilised almost 500,000 young people who have taken over 1.7 million actions for water, sanitation and hygiene, education and gender equality in the seven weeks since it was launched.  

They will all participate at the Global Citizen Festival India to be held on 19 November at the MMRDA grounds, Bandra Kurla Complex, Mumbai. The Festival brings together youth with leaders from across private industry, government, and non-governmental, community and religious organisations to amplify the voice of young people and hold leaders accountable to drive positive change.

Now live on www.globalcitizen.in, the fifth Action Journey is the last chance for global citizens to join their peers to take action and be in with the chance to win free Festival tickets. Actions include tweeting to banks to commit funds for WASH lending, lobbying world leaders to accept India into APEC and asking all Chief Ministers in India to remove the tax on menstrual hygiene products. The Action Journey will close on Wednesday 9^th November and winners will be notified within 72 hours. A limited number of Gold and Silver level tickets for the Festival will also go on sale from Tuesday 8 November at 12 noon on online ticketing partner BookMyShow; watch out for the announcement on the dedicated Global Citizen Festival India page.

DEMI LOVATO

Demi is a committed Global Citizen herself and performed at the New York Festival earlier this year where she wowed with her cover of Aretha Franklin’s ‘Natural Woman’ as well as her own hits which she dedicated to the women and girls of the world.

She is also an activist for mental health awareness and last year founded an organisation called Be Vocal in partnership with five mental health charities. The organisation aims to raise awareness of bipolar disorder, which Demi suffers from and which she speaks openly about in the effort to destigmatize mental health issues. 

FREIDA PINTO

Freida is a passionate advocate for gender equality and since 2012 has supported the Global Citizen movement to raise awareness and drive change on this issue.

She has made impassioned speeches about women’s rights and how men and boys are integral parts of the fight, gender bias in Hollywood and Bollywood, girls’ education and most recently on how sanitation is an issue that keeps women and girls from realising their true potential. 

Freida was one of the 50 prominent female leaders that signed on to the Women for Water and Sanitation Declaration in April 2015. This Declaration calls for Global Goal 6—universal access to clean water and sanitation—to be a priority of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. 

VIDYA BALAN

Vidya is a fierce supporter of women’s rights both in the film industry and in wider life in India. She has spoken out publicly about busting stereotypes and ensuring women and girls are accurately portrayed in film on platforms including Youth for Unity. She feels strongly that young people - girls and boys alike - have an equal stake in balancing the gender equation and the power that proper sanitation can have to empower women and girls in India.

VIVEK OBEROI

Vivek works as brand ambassador for Food For Life Vrindavan (FFLV), a non-profit organisation that aims to empower girls and women in rural parts of Uttar Pradesh’s Vrindavan and bring change by stopping child marriage, child prostitution and helping all the unprivileged girls to get education and nutrition. 

Expressing her excitement for Global Citizen India, International sensation, Demi Lovato tweeted, “Change Begins with me, #ShuruaatHoonMain on November 19^th in Mumbai”

Hugh Evans, CEO, Global Citizen said: "Gender equality is a central pillar in our fight to end extreme poverty. We are thrilled to announce powerful advocates for this issue - Demi Lovato, Freida Pinto, Vidya Balan and Vivek Oberoi - joining the all-star lineup of the Global Citizen India Festival. Half a million young Indians have taken over 1.7 million actions in support of our campaigns; it is exhilarating to see that the youth of India won't wait for change."

Bhavya Bishnoi, Global Citizen India spokesperson said: “Our mission through Global Citizen India is to blend public policy with popular culture to engage the masses in dialogue and action on the issues that matter. The support committed by figures such as Demi, Freida, Vidya and Vivek bolsters our message to the youth to take responsibility on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Gender Equality, and Quality Education. As Global Citizens we must all raise our voices to our leaders to be the start of this change.”

“Ever since the Global Citizen Festival India has been announced, there have been numerous individuals who are supporting this movement and are taking actions to bring about a change. This is such an incredible platform created by Global Citizen, which leverages the voices of the people to influence world leaders and decision makers in legislating policies that would help achieve the sustainable development goals. I feel thrilled and also blessed to be a part of this social movement which is helping raise awareness and make a difference to the world we live in.”  said Vivek Oberoi 

The inaugural Global Citizen Festival India will be held in Mumbai on 19 November 2016, and will be headlined by Coldplay, Jay Z, Demi Lovato, Aamir Khan, Arjun Kapoor, A.R. Rahman, Arijit Singh, Amitabh Bachchan, Ayushmann Khurrana, Dia Mirza, Farhan Akhtar, Freida Pinto, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Katrina Kaif, Malaika Arora Khan, Monali Thakur, Parineeti Chopra, Ranveer Singh, Sachin Tendulkar, Sakshi Malik, Shah Rukh Khan, Shankar Ehsaan Loy, Shraddha Kapoor, Sonakshi Sinha, Vidya Balan, Vijender Singh and Vivek Oberoi.

Eighty percent of the tickets to the festival will be given out to Global Citizens who earn them by taking action. For more information about the artists, schedules, and event, please visit www.globalcitizen.in and follow @glblctznIN on Twitter and Facebook, and on Instagram using #GlobalCitizenIndia.

The Global Citizen Festival India is being presented by Colors Viacom18 and powered by UPL. The festival, a collaboration between The Global Education and Leadership Foundation and Global Citizen, is being hosted in Mumbai by the Government of Maharashtra and event-produced by Wizcraft International Entertainment Pvt Ltd. 

Vivek Oberoi rides a rickshaw for charity

Actor and philanthropist Vivek Oberoi has always been at the forefront of noble causes and has contributed to the society in his own ways.

This time, the large-hearted actor has put together a fundraiser event, proceeds of which will be used for the education of poor girls who have been rescued from child trafficking, domestic violence and prostitution.

Vivek recently launched an auto-rickshaw rally ‘Tuk Tuk Challenge 2016’ by his non-profit organization, Food For Life Vrindavan (FFLV), which flagged off from Mumbai and end at Kanyakumari. The versatile actor also rode the rickshaw to a certain distance. The rally involves volunteers participating from across the country.

Last year, a similar event was organised where volunteers and participants trekked at Mount Kilimanjaro which turned out to be a great success with several NRIs sponsorships and donations.

Vivek is the international brand ambassador of FFLV and has been actively supporting the charity since a decade and has been instrumental in a number of initiatives that helped change the lives of the poorest of the poor. 

Vivek says, “Every girl child has the right to education and that is what we are working towards this year as well. An auto rickshaw rally would be a great noisemaker and would give us the right leverage to generate funds for this initiative. My first attempt at riding an auto was a great experience.”

Hot photoshoot of Elena Fernandes (in pics)

Latest photoshoot of Elena Fernandes is too hot to handle

Supermodel-actress Elena Fernandes who has recently been to the United Kingdom for a work-related trip has recently done a photoshoot showcasing her smoldering hot avatar!

This has to be, by far, the hottest Elena has ever looked, as the gorgeous and versatile actor has unleashed a wild child in her. Interestingly, the large-hearted actress did a photoshoot in her hometown shot by Sasha Jarim who is still studying at Conde Nast, considered as the most prestigious fashion school in the world. Elena has been styled by Shimul Patel. 

While we have seen Elena in many avatars, but her latest photoshoot is going to give her fans sleepless nights!

MACAO IS ALL SET TO CELEBRATE THE MGM LION DANCE CHAMPIONSHIP - THIS NOVEMBER 12 AND 13, 2016

This November witness the sixth edition of the awe-inspiring “MGM Lion Dance Championship – Macau International Invitational 2016”. Co-hosted by MGM and Wushu General Association of Macao, the 6th annual MGM Lion Dance Championship is being held this November 12 and 13, 2016 (Saturday & Sunday) at the Grande Praça. Macau Sports Bureau, Macao Government Tourism Office and Dragon & Lion Dance Federation of Asia are the Supporting Units for the Championship.

MGM previously hosted the first “MGM Lion Dance Championship” in 2010 and the first “Female Lion Dance Performance Competition” in 2011. This year, the two-day action-packed “MGM Lion Dance Championship – Macau International Invitational 2016” will feature Macao’s first “Female Traditional Lion Dance Championship” with international standard rating system.

Categories ranging from the Male Lion Dance Championship and the Female Traditional Lion Dance Championship will feature participation from 15 Male Lion Troupes and 8 Female Lion Troupes from Macao and from countries and regions such as China, Hong Kong SAR, Chinese Taipei, Indonesia, Malaysia, The Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

The judging panel consists of professional judges from Wushu General Association of Macau and one professional judge from each of the participating teams. The judging criteria is based on the International rules and regulations created by International Dragon and Lion Dance Federation in 2011. All participating teams will be required to finish different themed forms of movement within 7 to 10 minutes, demonstrating vivid gestures and expressions of the lion. All in all, the judging criteria is based on overall specification, art performance and difficulty of the footwork. Each team’s final score will be the average of the scores in the two-day event.

The highly anticipated “MGM Lion Dance Championship – Macau International Invitational 2016” – a two day action-packed sporting event will witness the elite lion dance troupes from Macao and all over the world battling it out for the championship with their breathtaking moves and acrobatic stunts at Grande Praça.