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Here's why Swati Piramal is no ordinary Mumbaikar

Updated on: 23 May,2017 10:26 AM IST  | 
Malavika Sangghvi |

It's not every day that you come across someone from Mumbai in a hat and gloves, managing to make it look not only authentic, but erudite too

Here's why Swati Piramal is no ordinary Mumbaikar

Dr Swati Piramal
Dr Swati Piramal


It's not every day that you come across someone from Mumbai in a hat and gloves, managing to make it look not only authentic, but erudite too.


But then, scientist Dr Swati Piramal, wife of biz tycoon Ajay Piramal, and an alumnus of Harvard, is no ordinary Mumbaikar.


We caught up with her in London yesterday, where she was en route to fulfil her duties as a member of the Harvard Board of Overseers at the prestigious university later this week.

"It's a 350-year-old board, and I was the first Indian to be elected to it," she says. "You are elected by global degree-holders, and one of our duties is that during the Harvard commencement, we have to wear black-and-white morning dress with a hat and gloves, and walk in procession at Harvard Yard, when the degrees are conferred," she explains about her sartorial style, adding, "Since I didn't know where to get the hat and gloves, Tarun Tahiliani advised me to visit Fenwick on Bond street, where people buy hats for Ascot."

Incidentally, The Harvard Board of Overseers consisting of 30 members (US President John F Kennedy was on the board) is one of two of the university's governing boards and oversees all its colleges, including its business school, medical school, and school of public health.

Piramal's election to it was no easy feat. "They told me it was likely that I would lose the election as no Indian had won. Undeterred, I asked them who else had lost? They said Barack Obama and Bobby Kennedy had lost the election too, so I went ahead and stood and won, and have been on the board for five years," she laughs.

A bit of indigestion and heartburn
In what looks like a frantic race by restaurateurs to capture the appetites and palates of Mumbaikars, guess which one appears to have stolen a march over his colleagues? No, it is not any of your usual suspects with their multi-restaurant brands, or even the NRI wonderkids. According to an F&B insider, the coup has been staged by this young Mumbai-based restaurateur, who has won the tender to transform the city's underutilised Sassoon Dock area into its leading restaurant and nightlife hub, something akin to London's Fisherman's Wharf or NYC's Meat Packing District. "Now, whichever restaurant owners want to open their establishments there (and who will not want to?) will have to go through this chap," said a source. "And given how competitive the market is, that is sure to make a lot of the others in the trade pretty mad."

And how was this powerful (and lucrative) position swung, you may ask. Well, the man in the hot seat happens to head an important industry association, which convinced the powers that be about the viability of the scheme. The result? Boom times for Mumbai's restaurant-goers, and heartburn for some restaurant owners!

Mick Jagger. Pic/AFP
Mick Jagger. Pic/AFP

Sir Mick bowls a googly
We always knew that rock dinosaur Mick Jagger had an abiding passion for cricket. Former Test bowler Dilip Doshi, who played in 33 Tests and 15 ODIs from 1979 to 1983, is a close friend of his and had once confirmed the Stones frontman's avid interest in the game to us. But wild horses would not have surprised Twitterati more, when it learnt that along with the rest of us grubby folks watching Sunday evening's epic IPL final, the legend was watching it too. "I don't think Mumbai have
scored enough runs in the #IPLfinal to win this … but you never know? Mj," he'd tweeted.

Of course, in the nail-biting finish, the Mumbai Indians team did indeed win against all odds. Rough justice?

Alex Sanchez, Prateek Sadhu and Rahul Akerkar
Alex Sanchez, Prateek Sadhu and Rahul Akerkar

Food with benefits
The end of the month will witness one more installation of the popular charity event, Food with Benefits, where six of Mumbai's leading chefs come together to present a one-of-a-kind meal.

Viraf Patel
Viraf Patel

Featuring Alex Sanchez (The Table), Gresham Fernandes (Impresario Handmade Restaurants), Pooja Dhingra (Le 15 Cafe and Le 15 Patisserie), Prateek Sadhu (Masque), Rahul Akerkar and Viraf Patel (Cafe Zoe), the evening will see them plating up their versions of retro European dishes, each responsible for a course at a communal table.

Pooja Dhingra
Pooja Dhingra

Proceeds from the event will benefit Janice's Trust, an animal rescue shelter in Panchgani, in memory of the late Janice Smith, who cared for and rescued helpless and troubled animals on her two acre property-turned-animal shelter. This is one event where the adage 'too many cooks...' is certainly inappropriate.

Shobhaa and Dilip De with their children in Coorg. Kanika Kapoor is standing behind Aditya Kilachand (in shorts).
Shobhaa and Dilip De with their children in Coorg. Kanika Kapoor is standing behind Aditya Kilachand (in shorts).

Endearing PDA
Word comes in that columnist, author and all-round earth mother, Shobhaa De has just returned to the city after an invigorating holiday in Coorg with husband Dilip De, their children and a few friends. With six children between them along with their spouses and assorted toddlers, the number of vacationers seen hiking through the areas' famed tropical rainforest, gathering around the hotel's pool, or feasting on local cuisine and outdoor barbeques resembled a small and exceptionally good-looking tribe of its own. But one face stood out amongst this attractive crowd — popular playback singer Kanika (Baby Doll) Kapoor.

Does her presence en famille with the Des confirm stories that have been making the rounds of a romance between herself and Shobhaa's handsome bachelor son Aditya Kilachand?

De was not available for comment, but the demonstration of PDA in the picture certainly suggests so. Sweet.

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