An ode to Bandra

Javed Jaffrey

Absence sure makes the heart grow fonder. This weekend, actor, dancer, comedian and quintessential Bandra boy, Javed Jaffrey, who is currently engaged with the Broadway presentation of Meera Nair's Monsoon Wedding (he plays Naseeruddin Shah's character), issued a clarion call that proved quite definitively just how much he was missing his 'hood.

'Hey all the Bandra gang, lets have a major get together sometime in August," he said on social media, going on to elaborate in detail the event's flow. "Probably in a nostalgia zone like the National College Hall, or Bandra Gym or Khar Gym, we could all meet there and walk down Carter Road late night. I presume it will be at least 100 of us."

And given the emotions Mumbai's leafy suburb evokes in the hearts of its admirers, naturally there was a resounding thumbs up to the idea. From spontaneous 'I'm ins' to more detailed volunteering for food and music, the post saw a tribe of Bandraites ready and willing to gather together to celebrate their essential Bandra natures.
"Someone make a page for the event and we can coordinate there. All can pool in. Can someone work out the music? Anyone in the restaurant business can work out the food (will be paid for of course). Musicians in the group can jam up too," said Jaffrey, whose many brilliant impersonations in the past have often included a drop-dead version of the unmistakable Bandra patios.

And, as some one, who has spent a good part of their growing years in a Bandra school, we too think it's an idea whose time has come and will happily get support. On one condition though: at some point during the get-together, there is a recitation of poet Saleem Peeradina [(First Offence: Newground, 1980), Group Portrait: OUP, 1992)], and erstwhile Bandra boy's masterly poem on Bandra.

That will make it perfect.

What gives?
This recently divorced Bollywood yummy mummy, along with her sister, were spotted over the weekend at a newly opened bistro in BKC and not too later, they were joined by the former's film producer and former husband with their kids in tow. The group, who was seen enjoying a happy brunch, soon walked out en masse, delighting the waiting paparazzi, who appeared to have been mysteriously tipped off as soon as the producer had walked in. What's more, the former couple were said to appear hesitant of being clicked together, and departed, as they had come, in separate cars.

We are as confused as you are.

The group celebrated the women behind the men on Father's Day

Celebrating mommies on daddy's day
While most families celebrated Father's Day over lunch or dinner, we hear some families got together over brunch to celebrate the women behind the men, their mothers. "Happy Father's Day to the daddies, who gave us our own superheroes, our mommies!" posted actor Anushka Ranjan, who made her debut in the movie 'Wedding Pullav', with a photograph of her movie producer mother Anu Ranjan, along with actress Alia Bhatt, her mother Soni Razdan, designer Masaba Gupta, her mother Neena Gupta, and Sagari Nayak with their daughters Athiya and Sameera Nayak. And the group had more than one reason to celebrate, it also happened to be the latter's birthday. Nice!

Kapil Dev and DJ Shaan Singh

Daddy cool
Trust Guestlist4Good founder and one of the city's die-hard party animals, Shailendra Singh, to come up with a cracker of an idea for his son, the popular DJ Shaan Singh's 22nd birthday this weekend. The first Indian DJ to play at Tomorrowland and Ministry of Sound, Shaan invited fans across his social media platforms to get registered for his party, to be held at an undisclosed location.

DJ Shaan Singh

"Within four hours, he received over 700 registrations, but not being able to accommodate them all, he put up a list of 200 people, who had been confirmed and within the next few hours, an invite was sent to all of them," says a spokesperson. The message mentioned the party's venue, which happened to be the location of the GuestList4Good's headquarters at Lower Parel, which had been transformed into a miscellaneous nightclub with two dance floors replete with candy floss and popcorn machines, tarot card readers, social media selfie stations and much more.

Shailendra Singh

And seen bopping to the music, were the likes of Kapil Dev, Mohammad Kaif, Suresh Menon and sundry DJs. "He's 22. God I feel like I should grow up now," the birthday boy's dad was overheard commenting after the cake cutting.

Malini and Radhika Vachani

Just breathe and stay calm
Radhika Vachani, Malini Vachani Akerker's yoga and fitness impassioned sister and founder of a yoga centre in Mumbai, has just authored 'Just Breathe', a book based on the ancient philosophy of the yoga sutras.

The devoted long-time disciple of the Iyengar School of Yoga had returned to Mumbai a few years ago, after spending a lot of time in America, where she'd pursued a corporate career in San Francisco. Her yoga wellness centre was the result of life-transforming experiences she had through her practice of Iyengar Yoga and Ayurveda and then she wrote 'Just Breathe', to show readers how they can skillfully manoeuver through this complex game called life.

Besides conducting retreats all over the world and in her centre in Alibaug every year, Vachani also conducts an annual one in the Himalayas. "Our breath is by far the most powerful tool in helping us achieve balance, inner strength and calm in our lives," she says.