Sonali’s Society: Was Taylor Swift in Mumbai?

PuppyRazziOn Sunday Varun Dhawan stopped by the YODA Hope Carnival popup in Bandra to show his support for a bunch of furry fellows who are a little lsquoruffrsquo around the edges With all proceeds going to animals in need his visit not only warmed hearts mdash it raised the barkWritten reverenceIn an age of instant replies we remain stubborn romantics for the slow burn of a stamped envelope And how is one not to love a letter when it comes from one legend and is addressed to anotherDiana Edulji and Sunil GavaskarSo to invite Diana Edulji to this yearrsquos edition of the Sportstar Aces Awards jury chair Sunil Gavaskar writes ldquoThe 2026 editionhellip will be a deeply special one It will mark and celebrate the historic ODI World Cup triumph of the Indian womenrsquos cricket team mdash a moment that belongs not just to the players who lifted the trophy but to generations of women who carried the game forward when recognition resources and rewards were far from assured As a former captain of the Indian womenrsquos cricket team your leadership represents a vital chapter in that journey Long before the sport found its current visibility and support it was shaped by pioneers who played led and believed often against the odds The success we celebrate today stands firmly on the foundation built by you and your contemporariesrdquoGavaskar goes on to say ldquoWe would be honoured by your presence at the ceremony where we hope to celebrate not just a World Cup victory but a legacy that had decades in the makingrdquo This could have been a standard summons to the stage Instead in letter form it becomes something rarer a document of gratitude inked with memory and meaning mdash the kind that deserves to be preserved long after the applause fadesIdentity CrisisCelebrity sightings always generate buzz but last weekrsquos appearances sparked more of a roar than a ripple On February 20 it was ldquoatithirdquo Hillary Clintonrsquos intimate arrival at Antilia that broke the internet From the way Nita Ambani hugged the former First Lady to the time they spent admiring the eveningrsquos inhouse sitar players every second of public domain data was dissected over the weekendHillary Clinton and Nita Ambani PICPTIBut just as we were readying to declare Madam Secretaryrsquos Mumbai visit the sighting of the season Taylor Swift became a talking point Influencer Ahana Raheja and Yash Patelrsquos weekend wedding celebrations in Jamnagar went viral because most folks assumed Taylor lsquotwinrsquo read lsquodoppelgangerrsquo Ashley Leechin was in fact Taylor herself Belting out Love Story in a fringed frock alongside bride Ahana Ashley made waves mdash until of course her true identity was revealedItrsquos a telling commentary on our times that despite the very real power moves of a former US presidential candidate it took a Swift illusion to truly shake the algorithm Online deep fakes are one thing mdash now it seems we must brace for similar plot twists IRLBig picture bigger starsIt wasnrsquot a social visit but a social cause that had Hillary Clinton jetting into our city last week Mumbai Climate Week 2026 Indiarsquos first major national climate conference had Clinton appearing as a keynote speaker mdash a session we hear Hillary herself suggested And while the former US Secretary of State participated in an absolutely riveting fireside chat on innovation urgency and inclusion our attention accelerated spacewards to celebrities of a celestial sortShubhanshu Shukla presents Sachin Tendulkar with a piece of history PICMUMBAI CLIMATE WEEKAt the event Indian cosmonaut and space pioneer Rakesh Sharma shared a stage for the first time with Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla who returned from the International Space Station only eight months ago Few are better suited to talk about space sustainability and our fragile planet than these two men who have literally looked back at Earth from orbit mdash far enough to see it as one world where political boundaries blur and the bigger picture comes sharply into focusMeanwhile another star mdash this one rather grounded mdash was invited to felicitate Sharma and Shukla Taking time out from his sonrsquos wedding preparations Sachin Tendulkar did the honours mdash and was unexpectedly rewarded for his generosity with a spacetravelled certified gift from Shukla A welldeserved honour for his outofthisworld service to sustainabilityA star is bornGiven how exposed we are to the faces and lives of so many celebrities it is easy to assume we know them personally Itrsquos a disease a doctor friend of ours finds herself afflicted with ldquoI meet people who Irsquove seen on TV and assume I know them sociallyrdquo she tells us mdash a quirk that has caused several comic misadventuresDia MirzaThis tale in particular puts her at Riyaaz Amlanirsquos Bandra Born in search of her husband who had already arrived Scanning the ground floor of the eatery for him she found herself confounded mdash turning to a familiar face at a nearby table for assistance The lovely lady stepped in without hesitation not only giving directions but personally escorting her up one floor to finally rendezvous with her dinner dateThroughout our dear doctor remained blissfully unaware of the ladyrsquos identity Her husband however wasted no time in putting a name to the beautiful face The mystery miss mdash gracious unassuming and utterly helpful mdash was Dia Mirza