Motorcycle diaries

His father the late Shammi Kapoor the swashbuckling Junglee star who was known in his time for his daredevilry must be flashing a big thumbs up from the skies as his son Aditya Raj Kapoor Mickey to his friends has just embarked on his own version of Motorcycle Diaries14000 km 75 days 3 countries from Mumbai to Kashmir to Khardung La through Nepal to Bhutan to Puri and then back to Mumbai on his bike And to flag off Kapoor and his fellow biker who else but the easy rollinrsquo Jackie Shroff who looked quite like the biker himself last SundayAditya Raj Kapoor and Jackie ShroffVroom Vroom guys and a big Yahoooo to youLatest conspiracy theoryNot that we buy into every rumour that makes its rounds through the cityrsquos grapevine but ever since the jungle drums were tomtomming about the real conspiracy behind the recent charges against the scion of a top business house by an actress we couldnrsquot help but wonder in awe at the latest one from the conspiracy theoristsThis latest gem emanating from august sources is that the whole thing was a conspiracy crafted by a big business house that wanted leverage over the rival business group They persuaded the actress to participate which she willingly did as she had a score to settleand voila the ever hungry for sensation media played its part to nail the business groupAs we said we do not believe a word of this But we are never doubtful of the cityrsquos ability to come up with a conspiracy theory to fit every scenarioAnother Queenrsquos necklaceItrsquos always interesting to see different swathes of Mumbai getting gentrifiedThe Ruias did it with Lower Parel and the Phoenix Mill Srila and Mahesh Mathai took it further transforming the Mathuradas Mills Compound into a haven for hipsters the by lanes of Colaba have perked up with the entry of presence of Bungalow 8 and Basilico and the Tahiliani Bombay Electric and Good Earth stores and though the Le Mill conceit didnrsquot quite persuade other upmarket enterprises to nestle in the potentially fab Dockyard area the ongoing gentrification of Rampart Row which began with the coming of Ensemble and has been steadily growing with the additions of the Westend Sabyasachi and Kala Ghoda Cafe is all set to accelerateNirav Modi andChhaya MomayaThe latest group to be eyeing this treelined art and culture focal point of Mumbai are top line jewellery stores ldquoThey go where the feng shui is goodrdquo says a source ldquoAnd all the top jewellers ndash from Kolkatarsquos famous Raj Mahtani to its other leading jewellery house Thakorlal Hiralal both of which cater to the old aristocratic bhadralok of the city are said to be planning outlets in the area as is Mumbairsquos coloured gems king Nirav ModirdquoIncidentally word comes in that Chhaya Momaya will be hosting a sit down dinner for city high rollers at the end of the month at the Taj to introduce Thakorlal Hiralal to the cityrsquos cognoscenti which will feature a high concept dance performance and fashion show to showcase the priceless diamond emerald and polki designs of the legendary store in West BengalldquoThe presence of the cityrsquos top movers and shakers have already been secured and an award winning Bollywood choreograph team will be designing the eveningrsquos entertainmentrdquo says the sourcePreserving Mumbairsquos heritageThe Jatias of the B L Jatia Group who are in the news for having bought the threestoried Razak Haven at Napean Sea road for R175 crore already own a sumptuous pile at Breach Candy opposite the Poonawalla bungalow where Amit Jatia the king of the Macdonaldrsquos empire resides with his family ldquoThey are a simple large Marwari clanrdquo says a friend ldquonot at all flashy and very integratedAmit JatiaTheir only flamboyance is their wellappointed midManhattan apartment and the big New Yearrsquos eve bashes which they host every year on the lawns of their Breach Candy house which attracts the cityrsquos young wellheeled and restless crowdrdquo says the sourceWell the parties are only going to get bigger in their new address we say Incidentally a medal should be instituted for all those high rollers who buy old bungalows in Mumbai to reside in instead of tearing them down and constructing tall towers on their sitesSave a bungalow to save Mumbairsquos precious heritage we believeHead and shoulders aboveMore than two decades ago when we interviewed the Rajmata of Jaipur Gayatri Devi for a story for Harpers and Queen the UK glossy at the aptly named Polo Bar at the magnificent Rambagh Palace in Jaipur we recall her singling out the Maharaja Gaj Singh of Jodhpur who she called Bapji for being lsquohead and shoulders above his contemporaries as far as foresight dynamism and wisdomrsquoMaharaja Gaj SinghldquoMark my words he is the Maharaja who will make a mark internationallyrdquo shersquod said and given her own international stature and acclaim it was a comment we held much store by And over the years wersquove found it to be prescient Whether itrsquos his transforming his palace in to a worldclass resort with the Taj as managing partners or putting the Mehrangarh fort music festivals on the international calendar or his friendship with rockers like Jagger and Sting Bapji appears to have left others on the royal bandwagon behindRajmata of Jaipur Gayatri DeviBut nothing has won him as much accolade as his philanthropic work Two years after his son Shivraj Singh had met with a grievous polo accident Bapji founded the Indian Head Injury Foundation IHIF an NGO dedicated to train hospital staff how to respond to trauma victims in the initial golden hour when lives can be saved Other initiatives like critical trauma care ambulances an advocacy campaigns for road safety awareness and support groups for families of victims have also been commendedSo when we saw that the erstwhile Maharaja has been featured in the latest issue of Forbes Life India we recalled the words of the Rajmata of Jaipur ldquoMaharaja Gaj Singh II who manifests the real meaning of royalty straddling the past and the present with grace The loss of crown for him has not diluted his guardianship and duty towards the people Whether it is rural development female education or the conservation of arts and culture Gaj Singh has set benchmarks in modern royaltyrdquo says the articleNice