Chaddi buddies forever

"We were with Danny and Gawa at the hospital when Rinzing was born and they were with us when Tiger was born!" said Ayesha Shroff about what could be the ultimate chaddi buddy picture featuring her son now the hearthrob of a million girls - Tiger Shroff, and his BFF Rinzing Denzongpa.

"Rinzing is 5 months older than Tiger and they've been friends since Tiger was born. Unconditional love between both of them - brothers always" she said, adding, "This picture was taken either at his house or ours."

Rinzing Denzongpa and Tiger Shroff as kids (left) and now (right)

And if that is not enough bromance for one generation, Shroff said "Jackie and Danny are best friends." Time for an epic film on the subject - any filmmakers listening?

Art for Art's sake?
'Is Mamata Banerjee India's most underrated artist?' Sandip Roy of First Post had enquired in an article last year. Now a leaked document has been doing the rounds amongst business circles purportedly revealing the names of the fiery Kolkata CM's most loyal patrons in West Bengal.

Mamata Banerjee

Sources over the weekend informed that a document on Banerjee's sale of paintings reveals that many top industrial houses including those belonging to the promoters of Chit fund group Rosy Blue have paid up to Rs 50 lakh for the politician's artistic endeavours. Amongst those who bought canvasses for lakhs were also the promoters of the Emami group.

The volatile leader, whose first public artistic offering was in 1997 when she drew twin flowers, which became her party's symbol, started out with a modest exhibition in 2005 when her masterpieces were priced in the Rs 10,000- 20,000 range.

Since then till today, it's taken a relatively short time for her prices to rise exponentially and has left art lovers and political observers baffled. "At first glance, this is the worst kind of amateur daubing, the kind of stuff done by the bored wife of a corporate executive or a high-ranking army officer," journalist Ruchir Joshi is quoted saying in the same article about Banerjee's brushstrokes, though what he has against the wives of corporate executives or high ranking army officers is not clear. Move over Dada-ism, we now have our very own contemporary Bengal School movement: it's called Didi-ism.

Giving from the heart
The vivacious Geeta Gopalakrishnan, wife of senior Tata Sons director R Gopalakrishnan, who has been tirelessly dedicated to supporting the Tata Medical Centre in Kolkata through her well attended annual fund raisers at the Taj - which see the city's top movers and shakers gather for a good cause - is organising another interesting event with fashion designer Krishna Mehta.

SRK and Geeta Gopalakrishnan

At the end of this week, over tea and snacks catered by the legendary Gujarati eatery Swati, she will be announcing a campaign called 'Dil se Deejiye' where a proportion of Mehta's sales will go towards treatment of underprivileged cancer patients. "When we introduced, "Dil Sey Deejiyey Dus Rupayyey", to collect funds for the hospital, Croma came forward and requested each customer at the cash counter if he or she would consent to R10 being added to their bill.

Customer support was overwhelming," said a delighted Geeta. "Soon the Westside chain joined in and between the two chains we receive more than a crore each year - huge blessing for many cancer patients!" said the dedicated philanthropist.

"Now in Mumbai, Krishna Mehta the acclaimed designer, sprang up to say she would dil aur jaan sey start a 'Dil sey Deejiyey Sau Rupayyey' and add Rs 100 to each bill at her store," she said about the cause that saw no less than Shah Rukh Khan become its first champion.

"He was moved by the fact that the maximum cancers come from Eastern India and that many who came to Mumbai for treatment were the poorest of the poor. He endorsed the campaign, 'My Name is Khan, Help Me If You Khan' imploring people to buy a brick for R1000 towards expansion and corpus funds for this world class not-for-profit hospital," said the corporate wife.

"We now call upon Mumbai's bade dilwallas - retail stores and restaurants, big and small to come forward and join hands and show their solidarity in easing the pain of those who deserve it the most. Dil deke dekho jee," she added charmingly.

Of cougars and older women
The grapevine is jangling about a recent revelation made by a credible source about the existence of 'cougars' in posh elite schools in South Mumbai playing 'Mrs Robinson'.

For the uninitiated, the modern understanding of cougar, far from being 'a large American wild cat with a plain, tawny to grayish coat, found from Canada to Patagonia', is a euphemism for older woman seeking a sexual relationship with a younger man.

As for 'Mrs Robinson', the reference is to the 1967 Hollywood film in which Mrs Robinson, played by Ann Bancroft, seduces the 21-year-old Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman), who is half her age. Now all that remains to be deconstructed is - which SoBo elite schools ...?

Suited and booted
Feisty, always ready for a fight, hedonistic and an international playboy he might be, but what is drawing giggles is Lalit Modi's penchant for bombast and misspelling 'Wait and watch. All who have not researched there (sic) stories and put on air I am coming after all with huge liable (sic) suits,' he posted recently.

Lalit Modi

'U can be assured. U know me by now. I will go after u all now. My time has begun' he said yesterday in the midst of the Sushma Swaraj impropriety storm. 'Liable suits'? Now given that Modi, an expensive and impeccable dresser is known to wear some of the sharpest suits himself, many wonder if this new form of attire might not be a welcome addition to a humble hack's wear. From 'Suit-boot ki sarkar' to 'liable' suits we have a whole new dictionary of sartorial swearing.