Mumbai Diary: Wednesday Dossier

Jhaadu ki jhappi
Festivals are a time for homecoming, and minister of textiles Smriti Irani returned to her husband's residence in the chikoo belt of Dahanu over the Diwali weekend, but not before making a quick pit stop at old friend and employer Ekta Kapoor's legendary Diwali taash party in Mumbai, pocketing a few square centimetres of newspaper column space.

Smriti Irani

Expecting a 30-car envoy, the beach town was touched up overnight to welcome the heavyweight. Regular commuters wondered how potholes along the Charoti-Dahanu route had suddenly levelled, even as the railway station where she was to broom a small stretch as part of the Swacch Bharat Abhiyan ("250 brand new jhaadus have been ordered," said an insider) was spruced up. Most roads leading in and out of the area were littered with posters announcing her arrival, prompting a few old timers to go 'tch tch!' at the brazen soft soaping.

A dais set up at the mouth of the station, skirting the arterial but in tatters Irani Road (no, it's not named after her; 90 per cent of Dahanu's Zoroastrian residents carry the surname) was to host her at a painstakingly early 8 am on Monday, a time when most would be home with family doing pooja to welcome the new year. But in the spirit of Bharatiya rajniti, the under-the-breath carping turned into fervent support as she sang Vande Mataram. Bharat mata ki Jai, but of course.

The nation wants to know...
His exit is causing as much buzz as his notorious show. As Arnab Goswami announced in an hour-long meeting with his newsroom that he is quitting Times Now to launch his own venture, scribes' phones across the country were buzzing with queries of what he may do next.

Arnab Goswami

While multiple sources confirmed to this diarist that Arnab will join hands with a patriotic independent MP from the south who was one of India's pioneering mobile entrepreneurs, Arnab did not respond to our queries. Anyway, expect a confirmation in a few days' time. What interests us more is who'll replace Arnab in what has been his home for the last many years and what will happen to that channel's fortunes. We have our eyes peeled.

Of Pocock's on and off-field exploits
If old-timers rue the lack of characters in the game of cricket, they have good reason to do so. Pat Pocock, the England spinner, who was part of Tony Lewis' Test side in 1972-73 as well as David Gower's team in 1984-85, used to have fun with the spectators behind the fence.

Pat Pocock

Once, Pocock, dressed up like a policeman - lathi and all. On another occasion, like in the above picture, he displayed his juggler skills by balancing a chair on his chin via a full size cricket bat during the Madras Test of the India vs England series.

Did the desi theatrics woo Donald Trump?
While much has been said about how US presidential candidate Donald Trump equated India with Hindus at a fundraiser organised by the Republican Hindu Coalition in New Jersey recently, a New Yorker article chose to focus on the other amusing goings-on at the event.

Donald Trump

Famous Bollywood faces like Prabhudheva, Malaika Arora, Sophie Choudry and Shriya Saran gyrated to filmi numbers, and it seems, their performances caused greater excitement among quite a few American desi folks than Trump's speech. A Michael Jackson impersonator danced to bhangra beats, while sword-brandishing dancers, dressed as soldiers, staged a fight against terrorists who had taken Indian hostages.

The two hot selfie points were the posters of Trump - his torso rising out of a red-white-and-blue lotus - and Hillary Clinton, sneering at Modi while terrorists march amidst rising flames. This drama is far from over.

Kolkata calling
Last year, when this diarist attended the Pune edition of the Bookaroo book festival, the venue was transformed into a haven for kiddie readers. It was a sweet success because we recall the battles the organisers had faced to piece the experience together. The smiles on the faces of young readers, as they balanced on to piles of autographed books by their favourite authors, was a sight to behold. This weekend the Bookaroo Express will chug into Kolkata for the first time, with the aim to woo young readers.

With writers like Arunava Sinha and Jane DeSuza to local kiddie theatre groups like Jhalapala and theatre musician Sangat Haldar, as well as old-time favourites like Amar Chitra Katha and Tinkle expected to attend, visitors can expect a heady dose of engaging options at the two-day affair. We'd be thrilled to bits if Mumbai is the next new pit stop.