Suit-boot syndrome?

They were the golden boys amongst Mumbairsquos business circles so when news of the recent Cabinet reshuffle trickled in and it was learnt that not only had Jayant Sinha the junior minister for finance been shifted as minister of state to the relatively less important civil aviation ministry but that Piyush Goyal Minister of State with Independent Charge for Power Coal New and Renewable Energy and known as one of the best performing ministers in the cabinet had not got the promotion he deserved speculation on the reason for both was rife in Mumbairsquos financial circlesPiyush Goyal and Jayant Sinha PicAFPldquoThere are four reasons being given for Sinharsquos transferrdquo says a business journo ldquothe most charitable one is that hersquod been shifted to aviation because there were much needed reforms in that sector and Ashok Gajapati Raju was not up to muchrdquo he adds ldquobut of course there are others Sinha it is being said spoke out of turn in public and hersquos being rapped on the knuckles for itrdquoWorse his father Yashwant had been periodically lashing out against the new regime but most worryinglyrdquo says the source ldquoit is being said that Sinharsquos background of IIT Harvard and McInssey did not sit well with the BJP RSSrsquo dislike of lsquosuit boot gentlemanrsquo adding ldquoAs for Goyal who was a successful CA and very popular with Mumbairsquos biz circles ndash no one can understand why he did not get a leg uprdquo Suit boot issues againBandra boys and girlsYou can take the boy out of Bandra but not Bandra out of the boy or girl This week saw the coming together of some famous faces from back home including music composer Vishal Dadlani singer Sophie Choudry actor Bobby Deol in LondonBobby Deol Sophie Choudry Vishal Dadlani and Anubhav Sinha with friendsAnubhav Sinha was there presumably after hersquod completed the shooting of Tere Bin 2 the sequel to his 2001 sleeper hit earlier in the month in Scotland and the others were also there probably on similar professional assignmentsFelt like an evening in Bandra in London tweeted Dadlani about the cool vibes away from homeldquoActors Directors Composers We should have started a movie right thererdquo responded Sinha about the serendipitous gathering but in the next breath revealed the reason why work could not have been on the agenda ldquoDamn Maliburdquo he said referring to the heady spirit which must have resulted in some significant hangovers going by the following exchange between the irrepressible tweetersldquoI need the songs before you crash in the Hyde Park thenrdquo said Sinha to Dadlani ldquoTomorrowrdquo replied Dadlani with a smile Damn Malibu indeedSushi and cinemaKnown as Indiarsquos Multiplex King Ajay Bijli the chairman and managing director of the PVR Group is a familiar face on Delhirsquos society circuitAjay BijliAjayrsquos love for cinema and his vision to spot an opportunity in Indiarsquos burgeoning middle class spurred him to branch out of his familyrsquos trucking business in the early 1990rsquos along with his brother Sanjeev to set up PVR one of the biggest players in the Indian cinema businessBut word comes in that cinema is not Ajayrsquos only love ldquoHe is a complete foodie and eats out a lot in Delhirdquo says a source ldquoand this passion for food is why hersquos launching a Japanese restaurant at Mumbairsquos Bandra Kurla Complex soonrdquoIn fact sushi appears to have been on Bijlirsquos mind he has already started serving it at his premium cinema in Vasant Kunj where cinegoers can order it along with popcorn and colas Some sushi at Lower Parelrsquos PVR wouldnrsquot be a bad idea eitherIndiarsquos leading sophisticatesNot for nothing is Prithvi Raj Singh Biki Oberoi executive chairman of the Oberoi Group known as the finest hotelier in the worldPrithvi Raj Singh Oberoi and KP SinghSuch is his passion for the hotel chain he inherited from his father and his eye for detail that stories of his fastidiousness are shared in hospitality circles with awe one features the celebrated octogenarian swooping down on a spotty glass placed on a customerrsquos table and replacing it himself during his legendary walks around his properties so no surprises then that this week it was announced that Oberoirsquos pet project the Oberoi Hotels amp Resorts was voted as the worldrsquos best hotel brand for the second year in a row by readers of a leading travel magazineIncidentally the only other competition the dapper legend has as the lsquomost enduring sophisticate in Indiarsquo is from DLF Chairman KP Singh ldquoBoth men born a few years apart are known for their elegant homes and meticulous eye for detailrdquo says a Delhi hostess ldquoWhatrsquos more they both like to live like pucca English country squires at home with Bikki being famous for arranging bagpipers to serenade startled guests at sunrise at his farmrdquo she saysReason for another round of pipes nowApostle of peaceOne is a tech tycoon a member of Parliament and an outspoken spokesmen for the armed forces his work on OROP to get justice for service men has been lauded the other is an apostle for peace and so when we chanced upon this picture of Rajeev Chandrasekhar Rajya Sabha MP from Karnataka and Member of the Parliament Standing Committee on Defence with the Dalai Lama on the latterrsquos birthday this week we were intriguedThe Dalai Lama with Rajeev ChandrasekharldquoI was fortunate to have met His Holiness The Dalai Lama just ahead of his birthday in 2013 in Bangalore And in September 2014 had the honour of hosting and welcoming him at lsquoOne World One Visionrsquo in New Delhirdquo says Chandrasekhar who divides his time between Delhi and BangaloreldquoAt a time when the world is waking up to the effects of brutality and violence perpetrated on innocents HH is a man who has faced the same brutality and oppression on his people over decades by the Chinese but has stoically and doggedly pursued the message of compassion and loverdquo he says with palpable admirationIndeed