Sonu's season of spontaneous song

Sonu Nigam

It's confirmed then. Sonu Nigam has reached a stage when he's spontaneously erupting into song. No sooner had the celebrated singer made headlines when he'd taken to the audio announcement systems while being airborne and belted out a few ditties to the delight of unsuspecting passengers, (an act that resulted in a few heads rolling amongst the cabin crew who allowed this outburst). But now, it appears that the song just cannot be brooked any more. Or so say members of the audience who attended the houseful 75th birth anniversary celebration of ghazal king Jagjit Singh on Monday evening at the Shanmukhananda Hall. "Nigam decided on the songs he would sing when he arrived. What's more, he spontaneously joined Suresh Wadkar while singing some of Singh's all time favourites like 'Hoto se chulon' and 'Baat niklegi…'. The crowd was mesmerized. More so as Ranjit Barot started jamming along with the duo. It was one of the most exhilarating jamming sessions we've ever heard," said a music aficionado.

Sonu Nigam sings on the flight

"May Nigam's season of spontaneous singing never cease."

Dining with royalty
As stated yesterday, there is a big-ticket reception to be hosted by the UAE Ambassador, H.E. Dr Ahmed A.R. Al Banna, in honour of the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. To be held at the Taj this Friday, it will surely see a roster of famous names in attendance. Ambassador Al Banna had presented his credentials to President Pranab Mukherjee at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, along with the envoys of Cuba, Ireland, Hungary, Malta at the beginning of this month.

Overheard
To those saying India's #?NetNeutrality regulations have denied the poor - why are you calling Mark Zuckerberg and Sunil Bharti Mittal poor?
- Mahesh Murthy on Facebook

Good news on Kher
Not a day goes by without news of Anupam Kher these days. If he's not terrorising lit fests or embassies, or grinding his teeth on TV talk shows, he's receiving state honours - but this time the news is of a more personal nature.

Anupam Kher

To mark the fourth death anniversary of his father Pushkarnath Kher which falls today, the actor, along with over "700 specially gifted children, will celebrate life and living with clowns, jesters, specially gifted singers, disadvantaged musicians and cartoon characters at the St Andrews Auditorium in Bandra," according to his spokesperson.

Apparently, this experience called 'Children of a Greater God!' has been fashioned by Kher himself.

He "has always been drawn to the cause of special children; during the 1990s, he religiously took time off his schedule to teach a regular weekly class at Dilkhush, the school for special children at Juhu in Mumbai," said his spokesperson.

"That connection sparked the desire to start a foundation to champion the cause and cater to the needs of such children in Mumbai. So he established the Anupam Kher Foundation in 2008 which has done much work in the field of education and palliative care," said the spokesperson.

So thankfully, no awards, no tantrums, no endorsements for the ruling party today. Just Kher and some kids having fun - nice.

But now we're wondering what the term 'disadvantaged musicians' means…

Mumbai's big heart
"We had record timings with awesome professional runners, made record money for charity and had more prizes than ever before!" said an ebullient Rachel Wawn about this Sunday's turn out for Footsteps4Good, the philanthropic NGO launched by the wife of a former British diplomat, which she now helms.

Tara Sharma, Boman Irani with the winners at the event

"A big thank you to over 1,100 runners and walkers who gave their hearts, energy and generosity. We've raised almost 40 lakh - 100% of which goes to charity - Thanks to you all for taking Footsteps4Good," said a grateful Wawn, adding, "We love you Mumbai!"

Of food, friends and photographs
"As a lover of food and an inveterate traveller, I've always enjoyed foodie discussions. My favourite restaurants are Alpine ones, tucked away in remote villages of Switzerland - to discover them and experiment with new combinations within old formats is an ongoing passion," said Nisha JamVwal, who will be hosting celebrity star-chef, Vikas Khanna of New York's Junoon fame, over lunch at the ITC Grand's Kebabs and Kurries today in the company of 20 or so of her friends.

Nisha JamVwal and Vikas Khanna

"It's going to feature Indian delicacies, followed by an interactive session, where the chef will demonstrate a recipe, and chat us through it, accompanied by coffees, wines, champagne and cheese," said JamVwal.

"As for the trigger happy, we will have photos and group pics," she said.

'Trigger happy'. Nice way to describe the perennially selfie infected cowboys and girls of Mumbai we think.

The perils of social mountaineering
The perils of social mountaineering are hair raising. Especially when the ascension has been rapid and relentless. Take the case of this high profile couple whose irresistible rise in the Bolly and social circles of Mumbai has been remarkable, and involves yachts and jets and all the accruements required to make the cut.

Apparently, after news of their company's recent defaulting on creditors, things have begun to go pear shaped, and they have been missing from action amongst the party set. "Keeping up appearances when they're gilt lined and Birkin enhanced is all very well when you're rolling in moolah," as the Oolong tea favoring SoBo hostess often says, "But not so easy when you're cash-strapped."