Araaish turns fifty

Suneil and Mana Shetty

"Araaish is much more than a charity fundraiser," says Mana Shetty, wife of actor Suneil Shetty and mother of actress Athiya, whose shopping extravaganza started with sister Isha Mehra and BFF Sharmilla Khanna, as a one-off show in Mumbai in 2007.

It was in tribute to her mother, the late philanthropist, Vipula Kadri, and has assumed monster proportions and spread to eight cities and is celebrating its 50th show next week in Mumbai. "It is the largest fashion fund-raiser to help special needs kids and young women at Save The Children India," says Shetty adding, "And I share a deeply emotional connect with my mother through it."

Sharmilla Khanna and Athiya Shetty

Mrs Kadri, wife of the renowned architect IM Kadri, had been a statuesque and gentle personality, and the guiding light for Save The Children India for 25 years. She left behind a legacy that her daughters are committed to.

And so, next week, be prepared for another installment of the Araaish phenomena: endless queues, hysterical women, and back-to-back traffic jams as Mumbai's women succumb to the annual festival's shopping fever en masse.

Jamavar in London
Word comes in that The Leela Group has announced the opening of its latest international venture in London. Jamavar, the group's signature Indian restaurant, is set to open doors on the posh Mount Street in central London this November.

Samyukta Nair and (below) Dinesh Nair

The venture has been envisioned and spearheaded by the group's foodie Co-chairman, Dinesh Nair, along with his daughter, the lovely Samyukta Nair, who we are informed, have spent many months back and forth from London putting the project together.

Jamavar is set to replace 8 Mount Street, the Mediterranean cuisine serving restaurant and bar, which closed down earlier this year. The London outpost is designed by Fabled Studio, and will be the sixth franchise of the Jamavar brand and include signature dishes Lobster Neeruli, Sindhi Gosht and Coconut Payasam.

"On the menu are dishes that showcase the varied flavours of the royal kitchens of the North along with succulent options from the rivers and shores of the South," says the spokesperson. And helming the venture is Chef Rohit Ghai who previously worked at Michelin-starred restaurants Gymkhana and Benares in London. A new watering hole on Mount Street?

Animal lovers
Next week on World Animal Day, three high-profile animal lovers are coming together to create awareness against animal cruelty and extinction, and to highlight the importance of animal rights and welfare.

Gautamâu00c2u0080u00c2u0088Ghanasingh, Bina Aziz and Amy Billimoria

The group includes artist Bina Aziz, fashion designer Amy Billimoria and jeweller Gautam Ghanasingh, who will be presenting a limited edition collection based on animal themes and motifs, part of whose proceeds will go to The Probably Paradise Trust by Roxanne Davur, that shelters more than 200 innocent and ailing animals that need attention.

Aziz, who visited the Masai Mara safari last year in Kenya, has painted a series of works on canvas, inspired by wildlife using mediums such as oils and acrylic paints. Billimoria has created an animal-inspired collection and Ghanasingh has curated an animal-inspired jewellery line designed by Aziz.

"I felt inspired to do something for animals, when I witnessed the migration of elephants, lions, tigers, zebras, monkeys in hordes with their offspring in Kenya, against the beautiful orange-lit skies," she says.

Capital capers
Anyone who has been co-opted on to a WhatsApp group for an upcoming event knows how distracting it can be, hearing all the pings of acceptance and decline as members register their RSVPs.

Bina Ramani and a friend, and Dilshad Sheikh (in green) with other guests

In the case of Bina Ramani, whose joint birthday party for her friend, Srinagar-based Dilshad Sheikh and daughter Malini Ramani was held on Sunday night at her residence in Delhi, this process was only amplified as all three women are very popular and between them have a wide and vibrant circle of friends.

Hosted at Ramani's sprawling Bali-inspired home Devi Ghar, the party saw a heady mix of the Capital's champagne set: Designers, royalty, politicians and socialites all made it a point to attend. When we spoke to the beauteous Sheikh, sister of actors Feroze and Sanjay Khan, who we have known for decades, she clarified it was not ‘a special' birthday of hers.

‘‘In fact, it was not my birthday at all as it fell earlier in the week," she laughed, adding that her generous friend Ramani had insisted on celebrating it along with her daughter. "You have been through so much," she'd told Sheikh, referring to the latter's ordeal during the Srinagar floods when she'd been stranded for days without food or water and had seen her home almost destroyed completely.

And as these things go, Sunday night's party was a welcome relief from such memories. After all, the only thing that flowed on this occasion was the wine - and the laughter.

A room of his own
For sometime now, Mumbaikars have been curious about the identity of the businessman known for his penchant for S&M and other deviant sexual practices.

The curiosity was heightened after it was reported that such a person had a room attached to his well-appointed office in BKC, where he would partake in these activities with ahem. Now, it turns out that he is none other than the head of a large construction company, which has interests in real estate, entertainment media, and FMCG films.

What's more, his son is married to the daughter of a popular Mumbai mid-city couple who divide their time between Mumbai and Delhi. As for the errant in-law, what most amuses people is that the gent's public persona is predicated on the twin delights of Ayurveda and yoghurt, and he has close connections with sundry godmen and gurus! Ouch!