Our curiosity was aroused when we called up SoBo's China Garden, Nelson Wang's enduring legacy at Kemp's Corner, to book a table and were told by the nice man at the desk, "And you do know our admission policy - no shorts and no children"
Our curiosity was aroused when we called up SoBo's China Garden, Nelson Wang's enduring legacy at Kemp's Corner, to book a table and were told by the nice man at the desk, "And you do know our admission policy - no shorts and no children."
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Now given that half pants were not our usual attire and neither was it that of most Mumbaikars, we wondered why it had been stated so specifically. Now we know. Apparently, India's beloved funny man, the irrepressible Cyrus Broacha, has been carrying on a running battle against the eatery ever since he was denied entrance because of his sartorial discrepancy last month.
Cyrus Broacha
All who know the Malabar Hill-Bombay Gym mulga, know that he loves nothing better than to hang out in Cargos with his BFF Kunal Vijayakar over a plate of salli boti or mutton dhansak, his knees bared for all the world to see. True to form, the funny man took to Twitter to vent his frustration.
"I've banned china garden. NO shorts! It's a garden!! Garden means shorts," he tweeted and then followed that up with "China has shorts gardens have shorts No comprende," in protest of the no shorts, no children policy. Now the question that begs answering is, which part of the admission policy was Broacha denied entry for? Wearing shorts or being a child?
The auto star
Ask a star what she misses most in life and more often than not, you will get the spiel about "not being able to eat pani puri on the road," and whereas we empathise with the sentiment, many times we wonder if perhaps, it would be easier for them to partake in ordinary pleasures if they didn't insist on wearing their designer threads, full studio make-up and starry bling, when they embark on such ventures.
Manisha Koirala in a rickshaw
Which is why, Manisha Koirala's recent outing in an auto rickshaw was met with so much approval. Not having a driver due to Eid, the beautiful star who has battled a debilitating illness to emerge triumphant and healthy, hailed a passing rick as most others would do in Bandra.
Posting pictures of her expedition elicited many high fives and over 5,000 likes. And yes, though bereft of bling and designer threads even in her humble mode of transportation, Koirala did look every inch a star albeit a more accessible one.
The big duo
They happen to be the daughters of two of SoBo's poshest families, and both epitomise a free-spirited boho charm that is quite irresistible.
Priya Aswani and Divya Mohta
Which is why, when news that Parson's-trained designer (Tambourine Designs) and blogger Divya Mohta (whose mother hails from the Birla clan and is the late Ashok Birla's sister), and Inchbald-trained Priya Aswani (daughter of Indra and Pesu Aswani and younger sister to Minal Lalit Modi) have joined forces to create The Big Do, a wedding planning and event management company, it was met with great hurrahs.
"We worked on a friend's 50th destination birthday together it was a smashing success!" said Mohta, when we asked her about the serendipitous collaboration. "The experience of working with each other was super fun and we were perfectly in sync with each other's thoughts and ideas.
We have a similar aesthetic which veers towards elegant understatement," she said, adding, "so we decided we would form The Big Do!" And with the combined wealth of their talent, address books, and family connections the big fat Indian wedding might just become the small, classy and understated one.
Soulful salon
One of the highlights of last Friday's Bellevue Salon, artist Sharmistha Ray's attempt at importing a bit of New York's edgy art scene quotient into Mumbai, was the performance by her friend, singer-songwriter Joi Barua, whose soulful compositions were recently heard in Margarita With A Straw.
Joi Barua
Created especially for the salon in response to the unveiling of Sharmistha Ray's new work Mythic Beings, her painting on gender, self-discovery and freedom, Barua composed a lyrical Assamese ballad about the emotional intelligence of women.
Seen tapping their feet or swaying melodically to the music were the likes of TV actor Nakuul Mehta with wife Jankee, Christie's Sonal Singh, photographer Gauri Gill and CEO of Vu Technologies Devita Saraf, amongst others. "Joi's next film as a composer is John Abraham's new production.
And he's currently working on his second Assamese language album with internationally acclaimed musicians like SF's George Brooks and Pops Mohammed from Durban, which will release this year. The song he created for Mythic Beings will also be part of this album," said Ray adding, "His music is moody, and he seeks to transport listeners to another dimension."
Rajesh Khanna and Anju Mahendroo
Remembered with love
Last Friday marked the third death anniversary of India's biggest star Rajesh Khanna. And whereas the day was marked with his fans and fellow industry peers remembering him, the most heartfelt and poignant remembrance, according to us, was a simple line, posted by his former fiancee, and later enduring friend, actress Anju Mahendroo. 'Miss you!!! Three years!!!' she said. Words, which contained a universe of feeling.
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