India, April 12 -- When life presents an irreversible moment - one that etches itself into permanence - you can either succumb to despair or transform it into a beacon of strength. For fashion designer Gaurav Gupta and his "twin flame" poet Navkirat Sodhi, a devastating fire became the catalyst for something extraordinary. Their harrowing experience culminated in Across The Flame at Paris Haute Couture Week in January 2025, a show that resonated far beyond the runway.

Strangers in the French capital recognised Gaurav, and fire survivors flooded their inboxes, thanking them for turning pain into power, darkness into light. But before the fire, there was a friendship built over two decades - rooted in art, poetry and a shared philosophy of...