Queen for the FT

You know some moments are lifedefining even while you are experiencing them Listening to Ravin of Buddha Bar play his personal collection for us on a friendrsquos boat on the Arabian Sea at dawn riding pillion with MF Husain in Kolkata on a monster bike wearing leather looking deep into Eckhart Tollersquos fathomless eyes at the Sea Lounge to discover the Now and sharing a glass of Merlot and a Cohiba with Leonard Cohen at the Kemps Corner HotelPlace along with that hearing Susheela Ramanrsquos latest album lsquoQueen Betweenrsquo with her a few hours after shersquod put in the final bells and whistles and called it a night recently in MumbaiSusheela RamanWe have been fans of the Londonbased Raman and her husband the guitarist Sam Mills ever since we first heard them play at a Jaipur Lit fest evening Which is why to hear that no less than the Financial Times has rated their latest offering with five stars validates ones enthusiasmldquoAnother magical collaboration with Qawwali musicians from Lahore songs delving deep into mysticism and folklorerdquo is how the FTrsquos David Honigmann describes the offeringldquoSusheela Raman has spent the last few years in occasionally fraught but often magical collaborations with Qawwali musicians from Lahore and this new album documents that sound world with the RizwanMuazzam Qawwalis in full ecstatic flight amid the South Asian psychedeliardquo says the tome famous for its stiff upper lipDirecting DesignersGreat to catch up with Neeta Lulla in pic at the lsquoElle Carnival for a Causersquo this Sunday one of Mumbairsquos landmark annual social eventsManish Malhotra PicPradeep DhivarNeeta and we go back many years and we have admired the way she has evolved progressed and transformed herselfNeeta LullaAnd true to form shersquos not done with the growing Shyly she whispered to us that shersquos on the verge of launching her first film an IndoBritish production which she will direct ldquoItrsquos still not been announcedrdquo said the workaholic designer a Bollywood and glam staple ldquobut it will be very soon itrsquos something I have been wanting to do for a long timeso itrsquos a dream come truerdquoWhich makes us ask of course whatrsquos it with Indian designers and filmmaking From Manish Malhotra to Sabyasachi Mukherjee to Neeta Lulla the direction bug has bitten them all Blame it on KJOSabyasachirsquos New StoreAnd meeting the stylish and graceful Sabina Chopra muse of and dynamo behind Sabyasachi reveals further fashion news the maestro is all set to launch his newest store in Mumbaiall 7000 square foot of it in SoboSabina and Anil ChopraldquoAs we speak Sabya is in the store in shorts and tee working on the penningrdquo confided Chopra looking very much like shersquod stepped off a yacht in St Tropez herself ldquoWersquore launching with small groups highly curated evenings and all of Sabyarsquos best You have to be thererdquo And we said ldquoBut of courserdquoSabyasachi MukherjeeHello Keith Goodbye SayaniLet us be candid we are quite happy to be the post box between two of this erarsquos lsquovoicesrsquo Ameen Sayani and Keith Stevenson Ever since the former responded to the latterrsquos goodnatured cribbing on these pages about being paid peanuts for a childrenrsquos film many decades ago itrsquos been a volley of words betwixt the twoAmeen SayaniStevenson whose now back safe in the environs of LA where he lives and works has now sent us this mail ldquoReading the response to my Hungama Bombay Ishtyle bit by that LEGEND Ameen Sayani was the icing on the Medhu wada of my trip home Here is one of the nav ratnas of Indian broadcasting history heaping praise on me HumblingKeith StevensonAmeen besides being a legendary broadcaster and compere par excellence is a wonderful human being Years ago when I was a callow youth trying brazenly to breach the gates of the entertainment world I received a call from Mr Ameen Sayani letting me know that as he was unable to do a show he had suggested to the producers that they use meThat was the entreacutee into the world of compering that opened doors and brought me fame and fortune not too many people have the strength of character to do that Most would quash the aspirations of newbies to consolidate their reign ndash Not Ameen Sahib In my book that puts him on the top where he belongsrdquoWhich is all very nice and fine of course Our only grouse is this whatrsquos the use of moderating between two celebrated lsquovoicesrsquo when thanks to online media wersquove still not had the privilege of hearing either great voice through out this long exchangeMy heart belongs to IndiaEver since some bright soul tweeted about Narendra Modirsquos choice of personal effects in watches pens etc such is the following he commands that there are many luxury goods mavens who feel that it is quite likely to influence buyers and increase sale of these goodsNarendra ModiFor the record the tweet went lsquoMovado watches Bulgari spectacles Mont Blanc pens lsquoPhir bhi dil hai Hindustanirsquo The best brand ambassadorTata BirlaHow times have changed for those of us who remember Mumbai in its salad days the Century Mills headquarters at Prabha Devi with its neon lit Atlas eternally holding up the globe was a thing of beauty and a joy foreverA symbol of one of Indiarsquos premier industrial groupsthe Birlas this unprepossessing structure reeked of the power and stature of the august Marwari clan that had been at the forefront of the Freedom StruggleSo it comes with a certain amount of sadness that this landmark building office of one of the countryrsquos most respected business groups now carries prominently on its frontage the name of its legendary business rival lsquoCROMAA Tata Group Enterprisersquo says the sign at the front of this Birla bastion