Mamata, Jaitley and GST

Itrsquos being spoken about as the wedding of the year and to be sure the recently concluded nuptials in Kolkata of Sanjiv and Preeti Goenkarsquos son Shashwat with Shivika Jhunjhnuwala not only featured a roster of high profile names in attendance but even boasted of some big ticket political moves which might have far reaching implications on the national political narrativeMamata Banerjee and Arun JaitleyAt one of the receptions the assembled guests were bemused to note the bonhomie between Fin Min Arun Jaitley whorsquod flown in for the occasion and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee ldquoNot only did they greet each other with noticeable warmth but they also made time to have a longer discussion away from the crowdrdquo said a source Could the contentious and much hoped for resolution of the GST bill have been one of the topics discussedNo time for backbitersldquoIrsquom always beyond amazed at how much interest people one no longer has much to do with show in your liferdquo It was the lovely Kim Sharma whorsquod made her debut as a YRF heroine with Mohabbatein venting on social media about a particularly offensive malaise that prevails in the city mdash that of fervent inquisitiveness borne of malicious intentKim SharmaldquoWhere what how when etc and not even to your facerdquo she continued ldquoAlways inquiring always asking so inquisitive behind your backrdquo said the irate Sharma who said she spends her time travelling between Dubai and Mumbai and giving her day over to gymming and juicing and new age practicesAll this has obviously heralded a healthy dose of compassion in her as she ended the admonishing post with ldquoAnyway to you dear person I send you love and light and a prayer for you to get a life so you can get your big nose out of minerdquo ldquoI would certainly like you to carry itrdquo said the actress who turned 36 recently and celebrated her birthday with a life enhancing day with friends at AlibagldquoThis is about a particular person who really deserves to be ticked offrdquo said Sharma ldquoWhy canrsquot they ask me what they want to know ndash to my facerdquo she asked indignantly IndeedJust dessertsReaders might recall an item we carried last week about a disgruntled hostess whorsquod written about a social climbing couple and the betrayal shersquod felt at being used and abused by themNot only had the item resulted in an avalanche of her friends rallying around but shersquod also posted her gratitude for the coverage on her timeline As for the errant couple in question apparently every one knew who she had referred to a high flying duo who until their company went public recently were little known and less celebratedldquoThen they began to grow so big that they forgot all their old friendsrdquo she said ruefully Whatrsquos more itrsquos not going to end there So stung is the lady by this saga of betrayal that she wants to immortalise it in a film script They might have gatecrashed her Diwali party and stolen all her bigticket friends mdash boy do they have their just desserts coming is what we sayAnita at HarvardThere is nothing we like more than to listen to stories of strong women and how they hold it all together The mantras of women who run successful careers have deep and lasting friendships have time for themselves and yet manage to nurture families and kids are a life long interestAnita DongreAnd one of the finest examples of this is the chat we had recently on the sidelines of a glitzy fashion show with designerentrepreneur Anita Dongre on how she runs her enormously successful conglomerate and yet maintains her cool and poise She attributed the secret of her success to working with people she loved and trusted in a peaceful and healing ambience mdash something they donrsquot teach you at Harvard Business School wersquore sureAnd so it comes as no surprise that Dongre who is on the verge of expanding her label into America has been invited this year to speak at the India Conference at Harvard along with the likes of Shashi Tharoor Kamal Haasan and Chanda KochharldquoThe 2016 edition of the conference which talks about India In Transition mdash Opportunities and Challenges will witness the designer talking about her initiative Grassroots a diary of Indiarsquos craft history one of her pet projectsrdquoWe recall how during our fashion show hearttoheart chat Dongre told us of her zeal to give back to people and empower the artisans of India ldquoI have always wanted to create a bridge between the crafts of India from our remotest villages and the global consumer I am glad that we have created a sustainable platform for the artisansrdquo shersquod said Now Harvard will hear about it tooMama knows bestAn impassioned bridge player an avid traveller an intelligent conversationalist and a woman of taste and sophistication are just some of the ways people describe Lalitha Mallya spirited mother of spirits tycoon Dr Vijay Mallya and last evening her famous son hosted an elegant dinner to bring in the grande damersquos birthday on the lawns of Niladiri his bungalow at Napean Sea roadLalitha and Vijay MallyaThe evening saw around 50 of Lalitharsquos close friends gather to bring in her day in a manner which was a marked departure from the tycoonrsquos own recent glitzy bash in Goa ldquoUnlike her flamboyant son Lalitha is a lady who prefers understated elegance and so keeping her wishes in mind her doting son hosted a low key affairrdquo said a source