Are you a wannabe?

gtgt OK Herersquos some deliciously meeow gupshup A highpowered and very informed group of Mumbairsquos prominent women were overheard this weekend laying down the rules of who makes it to the lsquoStylistarsquo ranks and who deserves the lsquoWannabersquo tag Basically they were separating the wheat from the chaff with highly sharpened claws Apparently itrsquos all very simple with points being toted up for the following A Did you buy a Birkin in the past two years Thatrsquos a minus one Four years ago Plus One B Do you attend shop launches and art gallery openings Minus one And herersquos the giveaway C Do you attend parties hosted by Insert the names of Mumbairsquos two prominent event organisers if yes mdash thatrsquos a minus two right away So now you heard it The difference between a lsquostylistarsquo and a lsquowannabersquo in three easy steps according to some of Mumbairsquos leading ladies Before Vidya mdash After Vidya gtgtu00a0Watching the IIFA awards coverage this weekend we couldnrsquot help thinking that therersquos a lsquoBefore Vidya mdash After Vidyarsquo syndrome thatrsquos gripped Indian Bollywood actresses when we watched not one not two but three prominent and dare we say it buxom actresses mouth the ldquowe love our bodies the way they are we donrsquot believe in size zerordquo and the clincher ldquoItrsquos all about being yourself and loving who you arerdquo Balan you have a lot to answer for Carma Sutra gtgtu00a0u00a0We have been admirers of Maitreya Doshi the Chairman amp Managing Director of Premier for a while now An MBA from IMD Switzerland and a BA from Stanford University few know that hersquos been named an emerging leader at Davos many years ago and has headed many prestigious international bodies But Maitreya wears his accomplishments lightly Talking to him at Sanjay Patelrsquos do we were delighted to hear his strident take on the Indian car industry mdash characteristically free of bias or jargon ldquoUntil six months ago the car market was robust It had been growing strongly for the past five years sometimes even hitting 30 per cent growth rates All that is history now due to the rise in interest rates increased excise and steeper fuel costsrdquo he told us ldquoCurrently official figures say growth is almost flat at 2 but that is due to pipelines being filled Unofficially the market talks about a 20 to 30 drop in salesrdquo he said Meanwhile we look forward to Premierrsquos latest offering a compact SUV called the Premier Rio with plenty of trunk space which comes in diesel and petrol options and is priced between Rs 56 lacs After all who knows the car market as well as the scion of the family that brought the iconic Fiat to India decades ago Sunday Afternoon at Indigo gtgtu00a0u00a0Sunday afternoon saw us celebrate the birthdays of the sons of two dear friends at the Indigo terrace at Colaba We have known Sanjay Patel and Ameya Prabhu through their lovely moms Sanjayrsquos mother Bakul exsherrif and a pillar of Mumbai society has been part of our extended family and Ameyarsquos equally lovely mother the educationist and writer Uma has been a valued colleague and friend for many years Suresh Prabhu So it was a double celebration with two generations of Patels and Prabhus celebrating the special occasion Incidentally both Sanjay and Ameya have more in common than their dynamic entrepreneurial spirit Chemicals and alternative energy respectively Not only are they sons of fathers who combined erudition with an active political office Sanjayrsquos father was the late great barrister Rajni Patel President of the Bombay Regional Congress Committee and Ameyarsquos father is Suresh Prabhu Shiv Sena leader who has held many important portfolios in the Union Cabinet including Industry Environment and Forests Fertilisers amp Chemicals and Power and Heavy Industry Asiaweek rated him as one of three future leaders of India but they represent an India that segues gracefully between social enterprise and business activity between social responsibility and fun Sanjay Patelu00a0 And because of the wide range of interests and age groups represented that afternoon we hear that one lot of the party left at 5 pm to catch up on its Sunday afternoon siesta while the other lot carried on the festivities at the Dome No we are not telling which lot we belonged to Happy birthday Nana gtgt Nana Chudasama that old Mumbai warhorse who spices up Marine Drive with his pithy witticisms and has singlehandedly made Giants the social service group he founded one of the premier in the country celebrated his 80th birthday this Sunday surrounded by his doting friends fans and family at the CCI Some of the guests present were Mumbai police Commissioner Arup Patnaik Dr Vijaypat Singhania Nanik Rupani Advocate Mrunalini Deshmukh Nanarsquos graceful wife Munira daughters Shaina NC and Brinda Chudasama Miller sons inlaw Manish Munot and Alfaz Miller Daughter Shaina NC the BJP leader herself no slouch when it comes to social commitment service and public commitment said ldquoAs a birthday gift Giants have dedicated this year as the lsquoSave the Girl Childrsquo year Many groups have pledged to conduct various programs to Save the Girl Child and for the upliftment of the girl child in all respects Nana Chudasamarsquos 80thu00a0birthday party rdquo Incidentally the fact that Nanarsquos special birthday fell on Fatherrsquos Day made it even more significant ldquoMy dad has taught me to always love and be compassionate never to utter a rude word He is my guiding spirit my inspiration my everything Be it his antispitting campaign or grow more trees or save and illuminate heritage buildings He still feels young and never wants to give up his workrdquo Happy birthday Nana and herersquos to many more saplings been planted worthy campaigns being launched and witty comments being written u00a0