Last Friday Delhi’s power elite gathered once again, in one more winter rites of passage — a dinner preceding a media house’s annual summit
Last Friday Delhi’s power elite gathered once again, in one more winter rites of passage — a dinner preceding a media house’s annual summit.
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Hosted by the group’s elegant publisher, a ‘power sari’ if ever there was one, it saw the likes of Rahul Gandhi, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Karan Thapar, Barkha Dutt, Suhel Seth, Romi Chopra and a host of ambassadors and international guests mingle in their silks and shahtoosh on the lawns of a hotel.
Rahul Gandhi and Jyotiraditya Scindia at the summit. Pic/PTI
“The topic of discussion was the PM’s address, as it was the first time he’d spoken at a media event, and appeared to be holding out the Olive branch,” said a guest.
And what next? “Well, next week will see more or less the same crowd regroup at the Jaitley family wedding, and later on in the month will be another reunion of sorts, when legal luminary Rajan Karanjiwala brings in his 60th birthday,” said the source.
Old school ties
She’s been celebrated for her hosting of high-octane corporate affairs and well-attended art dos, but last evening, when Dr Swati Piramal hosted the Walsingham House School’s 75th anniversary, at the Piramal Towers Peninsula Corporate Park at Lower Parel, there was a noticeable spring in her step.
Rima Jain and Dr Swati Piramal
After all, being part of the alumni, the consummate hostess conducted the anniversary of the prestigious SoBo elite school for girls, originally housed in the palace of the Rana of Kutch, with gusto.
The programme that began at 5.15 sharp included a rendition by ‘the famous WHS School Choir’, a recap of the Sixties and Seventies (the Beatles generation), and many performances by various alumni, based on the pop songs of their era (Those were the days, Una Paloma Blanca, To sir with Love and Brown girl in the Ring, all found mention) All this was followed by high tea on the lawns and a mandatory tour of Piramal Art Museum.
We were privy to an exchange between Piramal and Rima Jain, daughter of screen legend Raj Kapoor, and an enthusiastic alumnus. ‘I hope you are coming?’, enquired Piramal on a social network platform, after listing one of the programmes as ‘Lights, camera, action starring Rima Jain.’
‘Yes I am but what am I starring in?’ asked a nervous Jain, who many believe has inherited all of Kapoor’s acting genes. We do not know if she did in deed play her part in the school play, but going by the enthusiasm the reunion generated, one thing is for sure — a good time was had by all!
New Art Space
We bumped in to Dinesh Vazirani, Saffron Art’s dynamic co-founder and CEO at a men’s style magazine’s Fashion Nights last week. “I’m opening a new 10,000 square feet ground floor art space at Prabhadevi next week,” said the art maven.
Dinesh Vazirani
“It will include international standard auction rooms, a library, gallery spaces, very similar to the resources you find at international auction houses like Christies and Sothebys,” he said. We asked Vazirani about the auction Saffron Art had conducted for Susan Hapgood’s The Mumbai Art Room at the Royal Bombay Yacht Club last week.
“It was 15 young artists who work with the Art Room and we raised R22.5 lakhs — the highest so far,” he said. And speaking of his soon to be launched gallery/auction space, Vazirani added, “It’s a new concept — we’re going to host a pop-up exhibition for a week and then rebuild the place for other art showings. You must come.”
Happy Indian Goddesses
Not all Indian Goddesses were angry last week. Delhi-based author Rosalyn D’Mello, whose debut novel, Handbook for my lover, has been creating waves for its literary heft and the boldness of its theme, was in for some Goddess ‘lovin’ from Delhi-based fashionista and woman of the world, Rohini Killough.
Rohini Killough
‘I neither read reviews nor do I write them,’ wrote Killough. ‘The intellectualization of art is for me an entirely redundant and moreover, soul-numbing experience. But when things fill me with unfettered ugh or bliss, wax lyrical I must. Rosalyn D’Mello, Rosalyn D’Mello what can I say? Simply that every woman and man must, must, must be blessed with this kind of love.
To be ripped apart, ravaged, savaged and saved by its sheer force. And yet it is an experience denied to and denied by most. The number of men and women who have the courage and the gift to express it in such a delicious, bear to the bones, way. Even more rare.
As rare as you, Rosalyn. Take a bow, Goddess. And then strut your Divine in the full-blown way it ought to be strutted.’ To which a purring D’Mello replied with ‘this is the probably the second reader review (which are the best kind of reviews)! Here’s what the fantabulous goddess Rohini Killough had to say about my book.’ Angry or happy, there’s no denying that Indian Goddesses were centre stage last week.
Nightclub benevolence
Nightclub owner Rishi Acharya, India’s putative Joe Fournier, whose Exo at St Regis attracts the cream of the young and restless, is not one to begrudge a little competition.
Rishi Acharya and Sushmita Sen
This weekend at Float, the pop-up party hosted every six weeks or so at the same hotel, Acharya was seen partying with the best of them, including Sushmita Sen, and BF Ritik Bhasin, newly returned from her 40th birthday celebrations in Spain, Yuvraj Singh and fiancé Hazel Keech, and Zaheer Khan.
Hazel Keech and Yuvraj Singh. Pics/AFP
Or perhaps his benevolence has to do with the fact that Acharya’s business empire is expanding beyond the nightclub space. According to sources, he is on the verge of announcing the opening of another heady new hang out in SoBo — this time an all-day affair.
Zaheer Khan and Ritik Bhasin
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