We had met her recently at the Ganpati puja at Antilia and were delighted to find that Kavita Khanna, the dignified and graceful wife of the late Vinod Khanna, had put aside her grief and was once more participating in the swirl of life
Kavita Khanna
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We had met her recently at the Ganpati puja at Antilia and were delighted to find that Kavita Khanna, the dignified and graceful wife of the late Vinod Khanna, had put aside her grief and was once more participating in the swirl of life.
As is known, Kavita had set aside her life to care for the ailing and much-loved actor and politician, and had hardly been seen at social events over the past few years. Now, on the persuasion of her family and children, she had decided to re-enter the ebb and flow of daily life and her quiet and wistful presence, undoubtedly buffered by her spiritual studies, was a welcome validation of time and tide.
This weekend, Kavita and her lovely daughter Shraddha attended a pop-up dinner at a five-star hotel. They had opted for the vegetarian meal, while the budding actor Sakshi, who is the spitting image of his father, had dropped in the previous evening for the non-vegetarian option. Restaurateur-businessman and owner of Kolkata Knight Riders Jai Mehta, wine aficionado Sanjay Menon, and Gautam Singhania were also present on the occasion.
Dr Diamond
It was a slice of the best and brightest of Mumbai who had gathered to honour the memory of the late ENT surgeon and philanthropist Dr L H Hiranandani on the occasion of his 100th birth anniversary on Sunday afternoon at a mid-town five-star.
(Left) Niranjan Hiranandani with wife (extreme right) Kamal and (centre) Dr Farokh E Udwadia with his wife
Organised by his doting son Niranjan and his gracious wife Kamal, the afternoon saw the bestowing of the Padma Bhushan Dr L H Hiranandani award to Padma Bhushan Dr Farokh E Udwadia, widely celebrated as being one of the finest physicians in the world today. As expected, such a stellar line-up of talent and brilliance evoked many instances of greatness during the speeches. But as is always the case amongst the greatest people, it is their sense of joy, humanity and humility, that is most remembered, and so it was in the case of Hiranandani.
Distinguished cardiothoracic surgeon Dr Sudhansu Bhattacharyya of the Dr L H Hiranandani Hospital in Powai narrated how as a young doctor being interviewed for a position at the hospital by the legendary Dr Hiranandani, he was in a state of nervousness at the Willingdon Club. "I even dropped my knife on him," he said about the evening. "But true to legend, Dr Hiranandani was as gracious as ever, even insisting that he saw me to my car," he said.
After receiving his award, Dr Udwadia spoke of the good doctor's irrepressible sense of joie de vivre, and his habit of thumping friends on the back and pumping their hands with affection. But it was his son Niranjan, the celebrated builder, whose speech left many in the hall with a lump in their throats. "The day my father died in hospital, there were naturally hundreds who were weeping," he said. "But amongst them all was this young, ordinary looking nurse from Kerala, who was virtually inconsolable, crying her heart out even more than me," he said.
"When I tried to console her, she told me that it had been her first job, tending to daddy in the ICU, and one day, he had turned to her with child-like gratitude in his eyes and said, 'It's because of you I am alive'." That is what greatness is. It lifts up the ordinary and the unsung. And by any standards, Dr L H Hiranandani was one among the greats.
Switching on the light
When we met Boman Irani a few days ago at the launch of a new Thai eatery in BKC, where he had so effortlessly regaled the entire restaurant with his sonorous singing, he had mentioned that he would be flying to NYC that week.
Boman Irani with Dada J P Vaswani
What he did not mention is that he had been invited to conduct the proceedings at a very special occasion, one that perhaps only he could have done justice to, with his elan and dignity: the 100th birthday of philanthropist, humanist Dada J P Vaswani, the spiritual leader of the Sadhu Vaswani mission.
Boman Irani
Titled 'Switch on the light', and held at the prestigious Town Hall in the Big Apple, it saw thousands of devotees gather to soak in the spiritual master's bon mots. "Wit and wisdom during the question-answer session with Dada J P Vaswani," said Irani about the progamme. No, he didn't mention the song.
Two boys from back home
The axiom 'all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy' is apt for the Indian Congress delegation, currently touring the US, led by VP Rahul Gandhi. As has been widely reported, RaGa accompanied by former Congress ministers Shashi Tharoor and Milind Deora, and senior leader Sam Pitroda, were photographed visiting Tesla and other large multinationals. But more low profile were their foodie adventures.
Srijith Gopinathan and Shashi Tharoor
We came across this photo of Tharoor, the MP from Thiruvananthapuram, with Srijith Gopinathan, the two-starred Michelin chef, who cooks at the Taj Campton Hotel in San Francisco. "Great to meet Thiruvananthapuram's star export," posted Tharoor on social media, wasting no time in underling the state connect. And no, we aren't sure if Rahul made it to the Indian meal. Perhaps, he dropped into a nearby Italian eatery for some pasta carbonara instead?
Friends in need
Joining an elite business forum has advantages that go beyond wining and dining. Word comes in that this conglomeration of Indian Masters of the Universe, an offshoot of an international biz club, which likes to keep off the media radar, is currently involved in one of the most exemplary acts of camaraderie known in recent times: its members are trying to raise Rs 100 crore to pay off the various debts that a fellow member owes creditors and for whose non-payment he has been incarcerated for the past three months.
"What's even more surprising is that the beleaguered member, the owner of a textile mill who is currently in the clinker, is not even very popular in this circle. But this has not stopped his fellow members from honouring the club's code and going the extra mile to come up with the amount that will get him out of prison," says an insider. Isn't Rs 100 crore a rather large amount to gather? "Well, when you consider the worth of each individual member in that group, particularly the ones who are in immediate proximity to the jailbird, the amount is not that staggering," he says. Gulp.
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