He can't even think straight!

gtgt Ashok Row Kavi one of the countryrsquos leading gay activists chairman of the Hum Safar Trust and executive editor of Bombay Dost who had intervened on behalf of BCCI Chairman N Sreenivasanrsquos son Ashwin was on the phone with us about the recent episode involving Ashwin and his partner Avi Mukherjee For those unfamiliar with the sad saga of a powerful homophobic parent out to lsquocurersquo his son the latest incident took place on April 30 when the police is alleged to have picked up the couple from an up market Bandra restaurantpub Escobar and beat them with iron rods Whereas Kavi is there to give all help to the couple he appeals for good sense all round ldquoI hope N Sreenivasan looks upon this case with compassion and at least does not use violence against his own childrdquo he told us ldquoMeanwhile I am also appealing to Ashwin not to expose his fatherrsquos business dealings as he is threatening to do He should defend his own turfrdquo It is always a delight speaking to Ashok Row Kavi Many years ago we used to tease him that according to him there were only two kinds of people in the world those who were gay mdash and those who denied they were gay Since then Kavi appears to have mellowed a little but his language remains colourful as ever So besides our ears ringing with phrases like lsquoGucci Gausrsquo we were also told of how one of the countryrsquos most iconic IPL cricketers had to succumb to a hasty marriage to acquiesce to his ownerrsquos homophobia But thatrsquos for when ARK writes his memoirs Hussainrsquos Sancho Panza gtgt One of the most enigmatic friendships that existed in Mumbai was the one between the late great MF Hussain and his able Sancho Panza the affable Munna Zaveri whose day job was to shod some of Mumbairsquos prettiest feet at Joy shoes One was lean and artistic the other tubby and pragmatic and no one could quite figure out what they had in common but there they were together at coffee shops art exhibitions and social events chewing the cud Which is why we are particularly happy that the selfeffacing Munna is now on the verge of publishing a book in tribute to his great friend and mentor But as characteristic of the Munna laid back style the venture is er hellip lsquoa little behind schedulersquo ldquoI wanted to launch the book on Hussainrsquos first death anniversary this Junerdquo Munna told us ldquoBut I havenrsquot got around to collecting all the materialhelliprdquo For the record itrsquos to be a compilation of all the charming and priceless doodles and squiggles the Master drew impromptu and during the course of his life And about his late mentor and the difference in their ages Munna said ldquoI recall on Hussain Sahibrsquos 95th birthday which we were celebrating in London I was 59rdquo Herersquos to such enigmatic and enduring friendships The ChickMagnetu00a0 gtgt According to some one who knows him the Van Goghesque Sahil Peerzada is some one who is known for the his chivalry to all the women hersquos been linked with mdash and therersquos quite a crowd of them too ldquoHe was linked to Shamita Shetty and then Gauhar Khan and the latter was madly in love with him even after they broke off He is supposed to have got her a large apartment in the suburbs as a parting gift Not only that but he is rumoured to have been married twice is extremely wellspoken and lives very well pretty close to Amitabh Bachchanrsquos home In fact hersquos quite a chickmagnetrdquo we were told And what does this wellspoken generous high living chick magnet do for a living Well therersquos the rub no one knows what exactly Sahil Peerzada does mdash besides of course defending young women from the advances of amorous cricketers The IT Man gtgt This Monday will see us attending the Asia Societyrsquos Collaborating with Competitors Driving Industry and Managing Dominance to hear former Nasscom president Kiran Karnik talk to Subir Gokarn and Patrick Fouli about the IT industry and ways to enhance it For those of us happily cruising along the information highway clickhappy and with no strings attached it is important to remember that it was an event in 1987 attended by the likes of NR Narayana Murthy and Nandan Nilekani when it was decided that an independent association Nasscom was required to represent the interests of the ITsoftware industry that was the gamechanger And Karnik someone who played a dynamic role in this sphere will be enlightening audiences about those heady years Bunty Chand executive director of Asia Society India Centre says ldquoNasscom represents a success story of this model and we are looking forward to the conversation on how this can be scaled to other industriesrdquo Designs on you gtgt A little bird tells us that all is not hunky dory in the universe of womenrsquos exhibitions Huh Well itrsquos a Mumbai thing any one who lives here knows that one of the most lucrative frenzied and highprofile events on Mumbairsquos social calendar is the spate of lsquoexhibitionsrsquo around Diwali and other high ticket dates when a host of talented women are invited to retail their wares under the auspices of a banner The mother of all these of course was the IMC Ladies Wing exhibition that set the ball rolling with its wonderfully curated exhibitions at the World Trade Center and the President Hotel almost 10 years ago to which women would flock Somewhere down the line the redoubtable Sharmilla Khanna and Mana Shetty took a bit of their glory with their popular and more blingy some say Araish shows at Blue Sea A few years down the line we are told the IMC Ladies Wing itself had splintered in to the original body and a new younger chapter Design One headed by a clique of formidably stylish ladies So now Mumbai women have not one but three separate bazaars to go to for their beads bags bangles and baubles And where they choose to spend their monies is an indication of their loyalty Whew u00a0