Bedi and the 'M' word

As someone who has actually held Kabir Bedis first wedding announcement in our hands way back in the sixties when hed married his live in partner Protima Bedi our alarm bells should have gone off when we received his cleverly disguised fourthTo be honest something about its witty wording and handmade paper and design inviting us to celebrate Bedis annual 50th birthday had reminded us of the actors earliest debut in the marital stakes we got married this day etc it had declared adding with exquisite alliteration there was no damn dowryKabir Bedi and Parveen Dussanj on their wedding day PicSwarali PurohitBedi for his towering persona has a mischievous sense of humour and his playful hide and seek game with the media and public over his recent betrothal has resulted in one of the most carefully orchestrated breaking news stories of lateNo surprises then that the assembled guests at what was supposed to be at his birthday party were in a state of giddy excitement on being informed that he and Parveen Dussanj had tied the knot a day earlier in AlibaugAfter all for his circle of middle aged much married and often boringly so friends mdash Bedi has been something of an enigma mdash why would one of Indias freest thinkers so readily agree to the confines of such a traditional state mdash approved binding not once mdash but four times What were they themselves missing ldquoI told him Kabir you have everything Great looks voice talent and now youre one up on everyone else with your fourth marriagerdquo said his long time friend and director The Taj Mahal an emotional Akbar KhanTo be fair Salman Khan who walked in later appeared palely thoughtful at the thought of so much matrimony in one life Happywedded life Kabir Heres NOT looking forward to a fifth invitationTwenty beautiful yearsldquoCant believe how time flies and suddenly we realised that Good Earth turns 20 this weekrdquo Said its founder and creative director our friend Anita A Lal about what is perhaps the Capitals best export to Mumbai her home furnishings brand Good Earth It began life as a humble outlet behind a bus stop at Cumballa Hill and has now blossomed into a formidable and influential global brandAnita A Lal extreme left with her daughter Simran and friendsWe have been early admirers of Lals oeuvre ldquoWe are planning a small informal brunch to reconnect with all our dear friends and supporters who have helped to get us to this milestonerdquo she wrote ldquoCome over to the Raghuvanshi Mills anytime this week so we can give you a hugrdquo We will Anita we willCelebrating philanthropyldquoPeople often arent considered truly rich until anointed by Hurun Reporthelliprdquo declared the Wall Street Journal US edition a few years ago Yesterday when some of Indias richest men like Dr Cyrus Poonawalla Adi Godrej and Anand Burman were presented with the Hurun India Rich List 2015 Appreciation Awards there was reason to cheerThird from left Sandeep Singh Fifth from left Adi Godrej Anas Rahman Junaid Rupert Hoogewerf Cyrus Poonawalla and Kuldeep Singh DhingraldquoThe award ceremony was aimed at recognising the contribution of entrepreneurs and industrialists in the areas of business and philanthropyrdquo said a spokesperson for the award ldquoAnd they were presented by Rupert Hoogewerf chairman and chief researcher of the Hurun ReportDr Cyrus S Poonawalla chairman Poonawalla group won it for Hurun Report Impact Entrepreneur of the year 2015 and the award for Most Respected Entrepreneur of the year 2015 was shared by Adi Godrej chairman Godrej Group and Anand C Burman chairman Dabur GroupIncidentally Hoogewerf considered the godfather of the China Rich List established his enterprise in 1999 after he found that there was a lacuna in charting Chinas exponential growth in the wealth stakes Today the Hurun Report is widely recognised as the foremost authority in tracking the rapid changes amongst Chinas high net worth individuals and produces 20 magazine issues a year made up of a monthly main book and supplements that target the special interests of Chinas wealth creatorsThis includes the groundbreaking China Philanthropy List a benchmark report on the state of charitable donations in China and the Best of the Best Awards the annual brand and lifestyle preferences of Chinas high net worth individuals Awards to celebrate the philanthropic zeal of the wealthy We likeA candle for MantoA devoted fan of his alerted us Todays Mantos 61s death anniversary hed emailed us on Tuesday and on checking it was confirmed that indeed he was right Tuesday marked the death anniversary of one of the greatest writers that South East Asia has produced Saadat Hasan MantoSaadat Hasan MantoManto holds a particular fascination for us for his connection with Mumbai Way before his prodigious talent was discovered long before his illfated move to Pakistan in 1948 the writer had lived and written in Mumbai knocking around its mean streets and its seedy bylanes impoverished and often catatonic with hunger and boozeSome of his greatest outputs likes Kali Shalwar Dhuan and his collection of his stories Chugad arose from these Mumbai wanderings and have been amongst the greatest writing on this unique and harsh metropolisSo heres a candle for the tragically underrated Manto who sadly never knew his own genius but whose paeans to the city have been amongst the best ever penned