For those who think that life imitates art and that all the harking back to traditional spectacle and ceremonies like Diwali and Karva Chauth
For those who think that life imitates art and that all the harking back to traditional spectacle and ceremonies like Diwali and Karva Chauth across India are the result of all those KJo and Aditya Chopra movies, here's a thought: The over-the-top choreographed spectacles are very much part of a certain Punjabi culture, in which both men have grown up and what they depict on screen; it's what they were most likely surrounded by in their formative years.
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At Sunita Kapoor's Karva Chauth celebrations
This thought came to us when we chanced upon these perfectly synchronised, beautifully colour-coordinated photographs of Sunita Kapoor's recent Karva Chauth, where the likes of Rashmi Thackeray, Kahkashan Patel, Lali Dhawan, Bhavana Pandey and Shilpa Shetty observed the ceremony, which looked like it was straight out of a movie set.
"No one can beat Sunita Kapoor at her hospitality and warmth!" said a guest. "Beautiful Indian traditions ...Karva Chauth!!" said another. "Starving, thirsty and still in high spirits, that's what friends are for," said Kapoor herself. One more thing: while the KJo - adi combination might have only replicated scenes such as these from their growing years, what they have undoubtedly done is export them to non-Punjabi homes across the country. and, of course, added all that gloss.
Smells like curry
If your recent visits to some of the country's top eateries reveal that their star chefs are MIa, blame it on the fact that an Indian delegation comprising India's best and brightest chefs is currently away in sunny Spain, to take part in the prestigious San Sebastian Gastronomika, a culinary festival organised by the Spanish government.
At the Spanish culinary festival
The festival is honouring Indian cuisine as this year's theme and the group features stalwarts ITC's Manjit Gill, along with four of his colleagues from various ITC restaurants; Gaggan anand, the reigning three-time asia number 1 chef from Bangkok; celebrated chef Manish Mehrotra from Indian accent; Taj's Michelin-starred chefs from foreign outposts in London and San Francisco, Sriram and Srijith; as well as younger chefs from standalones in Mumbai - Thomas Zacharias from Bombay Canteen and Saurabh Udina from Masala Library.
Gaggan Anand
The group members will be away for a week and take part in various culinary debates as well as cooking classes to showcase their talent. and we hear, Gaggan took to the stage on the first day for a demonstration of his progressive cuisine, and in true Gaggan fashion wore a T-shirt that read, 'Hug me. I smell like curry.'
Mumbai's big fat heart
Friday evening's Charity Gala for Magic Bus, the NGO founded by Mathew Spacey that equips some of India's poorest children and young people with the skills and knowledge to grow up and be successful, was witness to a veritable flood of empathy and philanthropy, as some of Mumbai's best and brightest took time off from their busy schedules to pledge their support for the disfranchised and needy.
Mandira Bedi and A D Singh
We spotted men about town impresario Shailendra Singh, restaurateur a D Singh and marketing whiz ashok Kurien, digging deep into their pockets and making significant contributions. It didn't hurt either that the auctioneer was the very charming (and persuasive) Mandira Bedi, or that the items being auctioned were drool-worthy beach getaways and whiskey tours.
"Mumbai, once again you proved just how special you are," exulted Bedi at the end of the auction. and then, of course, to celebrate, there was dancing...
Of hair and harems
Word comes in that this glamorous middle-aged bombshell, who is a media favourite, has a little secret that she has managed to keep away from the Indian high society and media glare. The jet-set lady in question frequents the Mumbai - London first class route every couple of weeks and has been spotted on numerous occasions in the company of her London-based sugar daddy, a sleazy top industrialist, with homes around the world.
"She is a ferociously ambitious woman and destroyed her own ex-husband, by forcing him into a large debt, which he is still paying off," informs a London-based source. "The fact is that she has been seen on more than one occasion with the industrialist at his love nest in Mayfair," she says. "It's known that he has the sleaziest set-up in London and the joke is that he has more mistresses than hairs on his head," we are informed.
and how does the said industrialist manage to keep the lid on his various affairs? "His operation is a three-step one," says the source. "First, he insists that the woman trashes him in public. Secondly, she pretends to be very spiritual, and thirdly, she sets up a business to throw people off the scent." as for the newest arm candy, "it is the worst-kept secret in London that the ambitious lady is part of his harem," she says. Phew!
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