Kathmandu, Sep 2 - Branded an Indian language, Hindi has been given the thumbs-down in Nepal as the medium of official work.

However, Indian celebrities continue to be courted by Nepal for that touch of glamour, entertainment and driving home a special message.

As Kathmandu gears up for Fashionova 2009 Wednesday, a fashion gala that will showcase creations by 27 Nepali designers, making a special appearance on the ramp will be 23-year-old Pooja Chopra, the new Miss India World, the unwanted second daughter from a middleclass family in Pune who was raised singlehandedly by her mother and went on to become India's newest youth icon.

On Tuesday, as the Institute of Fashion Design, a franchisee of the National Institute of Fashion Design in India's Chandigarh city and the host of the fashion show, held a press conference, journalists bombarded Chopra with questions, ignoring the local celebrities. On Wednesday, it was Chopra's smiling face, wearing the crown she won in April, which dominated the newspapers.

Bollywood's singing sensation Sunidhi Chauhan will arrive in Kathmandu Friday for four back-to-back concerts that are part of an MTV tour meant to raise awareness about trafficking. The 26-year-old will be crooning along with Nepal's pop stars Nima Rumba and Kranti Ale, also projecting the message that music is a universal language transcending borders.

In between the four concerts in Kathmandu, Pokhara, Hetauda and Dharan, Nepal will also play host to Bollywood icons Shabana Azmi and Farooque Shaikh.

The two Bollywood stars will be staging 'Tumhari Amrita' in the capital Sep 16, the poignant love story of a politician and a painter narrated through love letters written across a span of 35 years.