It's not rocket science

And even as the countrys biggest talking heads and policy wonks have put on their finest expressions of gravitas and are busy trying to give FinMin advice on his forthcoming budget to our mind the most valuable bon mots have emerged from the lips of our friend and former editor at Business Standard Dr Sanjaya Baru whose book The Accidental Prime Minister till date is the most incisive look at the UPAs undoingDr Sanjaya BaruAll the advice Arun Jaitley needs for budget making can be summarized in five proverbs says Baru Well begun is half done A stitch in time saves nine Money does not grow on trees Penny wise pound foolish You cannot have your cake and eat it too he says adding He should have thought of the first two in July 2014As for his book Its doing well Still at No 2 for nonfiction next to Sachin Tendulkars says the Delhi insider currently Director for Geoeconomics and Strategy at the International Institute for Strategic StudiesMore and more Congress leaders who have read the book are now calling to say I got it all rightIndeedTaking to philanthropyIndian business leaders are not really seen to top any of the worlds philanthropy lists or follow in the footsteps of Bill and Melinda Gates or Warren Buffett when it comes to giving back So its nice to hear that its younger generation is addressing this issueKeshav ReddyRecently Keshav Reddy entrepreneur and scion of the GVK conglomerate he is the son of Sanjay and Pinky Reddy visited various orphanages with meals for the inmates It all began on Republic day this year when Reddy took to Twitter to announce that as a Republic Day Special for every retweet of his post he would feed one person outside the Siddhivinayak temple from his first pay chequeFollowing the popularity of this message which saw a staggering 2500 retweets the young businessman kept his word as demonstrated in his update Since I was unable to find 2500 people at one place I have decided to break it up into smaller groups He posted and followed that up with Fed 250 girls at an orphanage in Thane Superb organisation running from the last 42 yearsA source close to him says he will now be visiting different charities in the city till it adds up to the number of retweetsNiceIs Raj in the houseThey are known to be close so when visiting stand up comic Russell Peters specifically asked if Raj was in the house at his performance on Sunday night at the NSCI and received no confirmation that the businessman Kundra was indeed in attendance it could only mean one thing the former owner of the Rajasthan Royals was lying low so as not to attract a wisecrack his wayShilpa Shetty Russell Peters and Raj KundraAfter all everyone knows that the collateral damage at shows like these is that one becomes fair game for a funny crack No celeb likes to be identified says one Peters fan If he spots you youre the fall guy A lesson Kundra and wife Shilpa must have well noted given that they released pics of themselves with Peters from backstage taken later that same eveningArt kerfuffleYou know a citys on its way to urbanity when a few delicious ladidah art skirmishes threaten to disturb the pallor of its politeness and protocolArun JaitleyAnd so when word comes in that two celebrated art mavens both women of considerable clout and cred who sit on the board of one of Mumbais best known museums are in a kerfuffle over a recent exhibition you can be sure that the fur is flying in the right directionIt all began when the museum decided to go with a supposedly populist art and sport exhibition which according to one of the women played to the gallery a bit too obviously an opinion which she voiced to many of her supportersStung by this critique her peer took to voicing her opinion on the schism between those who stuck to the old order of established curators and artists and those who favoured the young and emerging Why shouldnt the museum throw its weight behind young ideas and champion younger artists and curators she questioned in an interview to an art magazineWhy indeed not say insiders the exhibition for all its youthful pedigree is said to have attracted the highest footfall in recent years Fifteen thousand visitors as a source says In the room the women come and gohellipWebzine on wineOne more person to enter the food and wine web space said to be one of the fastest growing enterprises in the virtual world is our friend Sonal Holland Founder and CEO of the Sonal Holland Wine Academy who has launched her webzine Sonal Holland Wine TV with a feature on the Sula Fest 2015Sonal HollandMarried to high profile investment banker Andrew the former Oberoi Hotels executive she also doubles up as Divisional Wine amp Beverages Head amp Custodian at ITC Limited Hotels Division and says her newest initiative is to empower viewers with cuttingedge information on wines both Indian and InternationalWe hope to be the preferred destination for wine education wine reviews wine stories and worldclass wine experiences says the enterprising FampB entrepreneur who is seen schmoozing with various invitees and organisers at the recently concluded bacchanal in Nashik in her curtain raiser The full version video will be out soon she says