Moments of sweetness

Manish Malhotras allstar Mijwan 2015 show on Saturday evening was a sparkler by any standards To have Bollywood aristocracy like Jaya and Amitabh Bachchan Anil Kapoor Javed Akhtar and Shatrughan Sinha walk the ramp for the NGO founded by Kaifi Azmi to empower women was a coup in itself but for them to do so with their famous and glamorous cubs was the cherry on the evenings cake one that made the audience erupt with wave upon wave of applauseJaya and Abhishek Bachchan PicsAFPBut even in this stratospheric glamorous outing of stars three moments of unadulterated sweetness stood out The first was the school girl from Azamgarh a beneficiary of Mijwan who spoke at the start of the evening in practiced but flawless English about her dreams hopes and triumphsAmitabh Bachchan with his daughter Shweta NandaldquoI want to be a pilotrdquo she said quite unselfconsciously to an audience which included Jet Air Chairman Naresh Goyal and his wife Nita their daughter Namrata is at the forefront of the NGO with Shabana Azmi The second was Azmis incredibly moving rendering of her fathers famous poem Uth Meri Jaan to her mother the legendary IPTA actress Shaukat who was seated in the front row and then her breaking out into a spirited fistraised red salute recollecting her parents leftwing daysAnd the third was the cutest by far onstage pair of the evening Jaya and Abhishek Bachchans ramp walk which included waving to friends in the audience jousting each other on their steps and Abhisheks affectionate aside to the audience ldquoShes even bullying me on stagerdquoRemembering VinodIt was a group of the late Vinod Mehtas friends and admirers who met for drinks and dinner at Upper Crust editor Farzana Contractors breezy apartment in Sobo after LiteratureLives Tribute on Friday for the media maven whod passed away in MarchVinod Mehta andGerson DaCunhaThe evening saw the likes of Uma and Gerson DaCunha Dolly Thakore Alyque Padamsee Anil Dharker and Amy Fernandes Neera Benegal Charles and Monica Correa gather fondly around Mehtas wife who was down for the day from DelhiClockwise from left Farzana Contractor Dolly Thakore Alyque Padamsee and Monica CorreaSumita spoke about the renowned editors last few days in the ICU ldquoThere were three visitors who came more than oncerdquo she recalled ldquoLK Advani Arnab Goswami and Arundhati Royrdquo she said naming three of the most unlikely names you might find in a sentence together and especially the first two as the ailing Mehtas cheer giversBecause as everyone knew the former editorinchief of Outlook had not only been a staunch secularist and often on the receiving end of right wing ire but he was also one whose approach to journalism appeared substantially different to that of GoswamisOf course though no one was surprised that Roy had been a worried visitor ldquoWhen shed call Vinod and say keep 10000 words for me indicating a fiery new diatribe Vinod would tell his sub editor keep 12000 words for Arundhatirdquo said Dharker referring to Mehtas fond indulgence towards the Booker prize winnerMany great and good things have been said about Mehta the man and the editor And for those who want to know more his exquisitelywritten recently published book Editor Unplugged awaits But for us the fact that he had LK Advani Arnab Goswami and Arundhati Roy at his hospital bedside speaks volumes about the man and his approach to lifeAIBs April foolNo this is not an April fools joke But when we heard that BJP Member of Parliament from Mumbai North Central Poonam Mahajan would share the stage with Tanmay Bhat and Gursimran Khamba founders of AIB later this month in Mumbai under the aegis of youngchangemakerscom we could not help thinking that someone was playing a joke on someone elsePoonam Mahajan Tanmay Bhat and Gursimran KhambaAfter all Mahajan as young and charming as she may be is a member of the party that happened to be in power when the AIB had experienced their comeuppance not so very long ago This one will definitely be one to watchStatus symbols of the rich and famousAs everyone knows the citys upper crust is a whole lot of crumbs stuck together with dough And of course the more the dough the better is the sticking And so it has been brought to our notice that after Birkins and Beemers and private jets and luxury liners and destination weddings guess whats the best way that the rich get to you knowhellip flaunt their richesForeign security personnel and Far Eastern nannies ldquoAny rich kid knows that whereas most can afford the R1 lakh tables and unlimited Dom service what really sets apart the men from the boys is if they enter a night club in Mumbai with a posse of white bodyguards That sends a shiver of thrills through the crowdsrdquo said a PYT in a LBDAs for the Far Eastern nannies the fact that they tend to dress smart and in many cases are more presentable than their employers friends beside costing three times more than their Indian counterparts makes them one of the most coveted status symbols amongst the citys rich and famousLike we were saying lots of dough around the crumbs