The last time we had been in touch with author and Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, he had excitedly informed us of the upcoming marriage of his son Ishaan Tharoor of the Washington Post with Bhumika Dave of CNN, in the USA
The last time we had been in touch with author and Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, he had excitedly informed us of the upcoming marriage of his son Ishaan Tharoor of the Washington Post with Bhumika Dave of CNN, in the USA.
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Ishaan Tharoor and Bhumika Dave
"The Delhi reception will be at my home on Christmas Day," he'd exulted, "And you are cordially invited." And word comes in that this Saturday the wedding took place at the The Hilton Richmond Hotel & Spa/Short Pump, Virginia.
With Shashi Tharoor and Tilottamma Tharoor, Ishaan's parents
"Ishaan's twin Kanishk, a New York-based writer, who's just out with his first book, a collection of short stories titled Swimmer Among The Stars, who married poet Amanda Calderon in 2016, was present, along with their mother, Tilottama Tharoor, known to friends as Meenu, an academic and humanities professor at New York University, and dad Shashi," said a source, adding, "And given the couple's fast-track careers in the top two media houses of the country, there was a sizeable turnout of big-ticket names from the world of the media."
Dongre does it again
Unlike her desi design contemporaries, Anita Dongre, known to be amongst the top three selling designers in the country, has given the whole air-kissing, champagne-quaffing Bolly and society celebrity circuit a wide berth, concentrating on spreading her brand's footprint internationally.
Some of the Apple Tech's leadership in Anita Dongre's (also right) designs
This week, the designer, who retails in New York, joined the likes of Snoop Dogg, Justin Timberlake and Karlie Kloss who were approached by a leading denim brand for the campaign of collaborated trucker jacket designs. And given her passion for Indian handicrafts and looms, Dongre is said to have designed her trucker jacket using the skilled hands of craftsmen from back home.
"Remaining true to her sustainable aesthetic, Anita created a hand-embroidered jacket with motifs showcasing the vibrant life in small Indian villages," says a spokesperson. This was not the down-to-earth Sindhi married to a Maharashtrian's only international high five recently.
Another exciting happenstance was with Apple. When Apple Tech's senior leadership team from the US attended the opening night of MAMI last week, we are informed that all seven men and five women were dressed in her outfits. And of course, last year Dongre had captured the spotlight when Kate Middleton had donned a Dongre dress on her visit to Mumbai. Beats all that schmoozing with Bollywood stars, we say.
Take that!
It looks like Rajdeep Sardesai, TV anchor and son of former Test cricketer Dilip Sardesai, whose latest book 'Democracy's Eleven', will be launched by Sachin Tendulkar in the presence of other cricketing legends, namely Sunil Gavaskar, has been having quite a tough week.
Rajdeep Sardesai, Pranab Mukherjee and Subramanian Swamy
It started when he managed to convince ex-president Pranab Mukherjee to give his first TV interview after passing on the presidential baton. All was going fine until at some point Sardesai interrupted the erudite Pranabda, who didn't seem to take it well. "Let me complete. Don't have this habit. I am sorry to remind you that you are interfering with the former President.
Please have the necessary courtesy. Don't interrupt. I am not eager to appear on the screen. You have invited me. Firstly, you cannot raise your voice when I am answering your question," he scolded. To be fair to Rajdeep, he did allow this part of the interview to air when he could have easily edited it out.
Last night, he was once again at the receiving end, this time on social media from none other than that one-man demolition army and loose cannon Subramanian Swamy, who tweeted, "For those e.g Rajdeep who want hospital on Ramjanmabhoomi I suggest a mental hospital 10 kms across Saryu River with a window to see temple." But Sardesai seemed to have had enough of all this dissing and gave it right back to the celebrated weapon of mass destruction. "Sure sir, but only if we can stay together in a double room!" he responded.
Ice, ice, baby
"When we bumped into the lovely Pooja Shetty, movie mogul and wife of Congress leader and weekend rocker Milind Deora, at a recent Diwali bash, she had informed us that he was away in Reykjavik, Iceland, attending the annual assembly of the Arctic Circle.
Milind Deora
The Deoras have an old and deep connection to the country, ever since the family patriarch, the late Murli Deora, struck up a friendship with former President of Iceland, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson. When Grimsson, founder and chairman of the organisation that aims to facilitate an international dialogue about the economic, geopolitical and strategic potential of the Arctic, invited Milind to join its advisory board a few years ago, he had happily accepted.
Deora, of course, has also been a key strategist in what is being described as Rahul Gandhi's resurgence, being one of the initiators of his famous recent US sojourn where he had addressed the undergrads of Berkeley and met Silicon Valley's most successful NRIs. "He's really a very nice, humble and decent guy," Pooja, who had been part of the trip, said about the Congress VP. "And something appears to have changed in the way he's going about things." To which we said, "For all our sakes we hope you're right." But being apolitical and soft, mercifully, our words got lost in the Diwali cheer.
The jewel in her crown
"I have been super busy with kids, husband and work this past one month, my darling," said jewellery designer Queenie Singh. "I was in San Francisco-LA-Monaco-London Abu Dhabi-Dubai and Hyderabad - all work, promoting Jewels by Queenie and loving it," she said.
Queenie at the Meridian in Monaco during the yacht show, also
The jet-setter, who married the London-based son of billionaire Nirmal Sethia, will welcome a slew of the city's movers and shakers this evening, to what she describes as her 'cute new boutique' this evening on the occasion of Dhanteras. "The landlord wanted to sell the old one," she explained about her earlier store in the same neighbourhood.
As for her future plans, Singh, who often teams up with BFF Rhea Pillai to traverse the length and breadth of the country to retail her designs, is keeping her cards close to her chest. "Everyday is a new day - new plans." And, of course, she ended with a "Darling".
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