Voila! The 'Savvy 'Cover

Guys.... what do you think????

An open letter to Future Wives....

Isn't Princess Grace by far the most beautiful woman ever???? The oil painting on top is not of the lovely lady, but it is very representative of her impeccable, unmatched style...ít hangs like a tribute to Grace, in the lobby of the Hotel de Paris in Monaco

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So, another IPL rolls to a finish.... with a bang?

This season of the IPL will be remembered for several side shows, most of them deliciously sleazy. But the women of India will certainly mark it as the year in which they asked themselves whether or not they qualified as 'Future Wives'. How I love Sid Mallya's phrase. I have been using it constantly, and have spun out three columns on wives , past, present and future...

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Let me end this post on a cricket note. I met Nita Ambani at a private dinner a couple of nights back, days after the Mumbai Indians had lost the match and were out of the Finals.She told me her son tried to cheer her up after the dramatic game. And this is what he said, "Mama.... obviously for one team to win, another team has to lose,na?" It gets better... after Dhoni's spectacular knock, her son wore a T-shirt that said, "I watched Dhoni LIVE!" I guess our kids remain our best teachers. Amen to that

An open letter to all ‘Future Wives’...

Dear Future Wife,

If you know what’s good for you, you shall pay close attention to the sage words of young Siddhartha Mallya and not indulge in behaviour that may adversely impact your chances of being a worthy ‘Future Wife’. This is serious stuff. Look at what happened to an unknown blond from America called Zohal Hamid, when Sid thought she stepped out of line and did not behave like a Future Wife. Not only was her Future Husband beaten up by Luke Pomersbach, a naughty Australian cricketer who had strayed into their plush suite looking for a drink (at dawn), but the rogue dared to follow the Future Wife into the bedroom when all she’d wanted to do was lie down and catch up on some sleep.It gets worse - this brute, clearly not clued in to the ways of Future Wives from India ( awww, okay, of Indian origin), and how they are expected to behave with foreign cricketers who barge into their bedrooms, was bold enough to make a pass at the distraught lady, who was clearly unaccustomed to such behaviour. Hearing the cries for help from his Future Wife, Sahil ( it could also be Sajid) Peerzada, the Future Husband, rushed in to save her honour. Exactly what any protective Future Husband would do under the circumstances. Instead of apologising to both Future Spouses, the rude cricketer punched the boyfriend / fiancé / Future Husband. He punched him so hard, there was blood on the plush carpet and a shattered ear drum that required surgery. Naturally, the Future Wife had to swing into action and do what any loyal Future Wife would – summon the press. Summon the cops. Summon an ambulance. Not necessarily in that order. As an American, she knew her rights, and she wasn’t about to take any of this nonsense lying down. Especially not after Mallya Jr. tweeted about her social behaviour the previous night, right before the frisky cricketer “tagged along’’ to her suite like a puppy following a juicy bone.The telling tweet turned out to be a huge mistake. But the Future Wife had proved her point. You don’t mess with ladies like that and think you can get away with it. Not even if you are The Prince of Good Times. By now, there was a registered police complaint, plus a demand for an immediate apology from Sid Mallya. Or else. Future Wife was not just on the war path, she meant business.

Well, as things stand right now, there has been a great deal of public hand-shaking ( after the hand wringing). And all the aggrieved parties have decided to put this incident behind them. Sid has not exactly apologised but termed his unfortunate comment as being “the product of stressful circumstances.” The Future Wife’s lawyer confirmed a settlement ( minus any financial considerations)has been reached since “all petitioners are young and have a long life ahead of them” Amen.

But, you, dear Future Wife, may not be as lucky with your Future Husband. What if the guy is not as enlightened and progressive as Sahil? What if he really, really minds if a hunky cricketer at a glamourous , boozy party fancies you, and then follows you like Mary’s little lamb, all the way to the bedroom? Worse, what happens if a celeb’s tweet accuses you of conduct unbecoming of a Future Wife? Be honest. It’s a tough call. There ought to be a detailed Handybook for Future Wives in India. How are the poor things supposed to know what to do, how to behave, if rules are not in place? How could any attractive young woman imagine an attractive young cricketer would have the guts to try and kiss her, when her Future Husband was just a few feet away? Marriage is serious business. In the case of Zohal, there are several wonderful men, including a raakhi brother, who are ready to defend her honour. But not all Future Wives are as lucky. The moral of the story is abundantly clear : As a Future Wife, stay away from IPL parties. Make sure nobody follows you. Look over your shoulders at all times, in case there is an Aussie bloke looking for a drink from your mini-bar. If you do decide to take a catnap in the middle of a party, ensure you lock the bedroom door first.And it is always a good idea to have an attorney on speed dial, just in case your Future Husband gets bashed up.

Two views...

Aren't both views just spectacular?I shot them from my large bay window in Hotel de Paris,Monte Carlo. Looking at the images right now, it makes me marvel at the magic of light.

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Talking of light, Bollywood's "Pyaara " Karan ( he truly is well loved and I cannot think of a single person who has anything but a good word for him - rare in as competitive a world as movies) pulled off a party to beat all parties - let's just call it the Grandfather of Parties, to which tout Bollywood flocked. The Birthday Boy himself stayed cold sober throughout ( unless he hit the dance floor and the bottle after I left at 1.45 a.m.), but was having the best time with hundreds of friends to cheer him on. I complimented his good friend Manish Malhotra on the decor ( red velvet and red optic lights) and told him the venue resembled a posh Parisian Bordello. While leaving, I teased Karan about various ummm... things... and urged him to take his cue from the Red (for Danger) lights at his party. Here's wishing Bollywood's darling a Year ( if not a lifetime) of Living Dangerously ( BTW, that's also the title of a terrific Mel Gibson movie). Go for it, Karan. Life does begin at forty!!

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On a personal note, It feels great to be a Çover Girl again!'There I am on Nari Hira's 'Savvy( (Special Collector's Issue)', and I refuse to be blase about it!'Magna is launching a bouquet of Special issues - Stardust, Men's Health, Society etc. I shall certainly cherish this one, not only because of my over 40 year-old association with the group, but it feels kinda good to be on the cover of a magazine that is NOT meant only for senior citizens. If you guys want to see the image, you'll have to ask - nicely. I'm lagao-ing a little bhav now!!

Wrong place, wrong time! Raves in Mumbai

A tale of two sparrows. The one at the bottom is beautifully crafted out of silver, and is a part of the artistic table decor at one of the greatest restaurants in the world - Le Louis XV in Monaco. The other was stealing nuts from our table at my all-time favourite Cafe - Les Deux Magots in Paris. Both tell their own stories!

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So, finally we have spotted Ash at Cannes. All comments reserved!

This appeared in Bombay Times yesterday.....

Wrong place,wrong time...

Somehow, last week’s cop raid on the rave party in Juhu which saw several red faces (hiding behind handbags and caps), smacks of a set-up. Some random disgruntled Johnny may have tipped off the cops, to settle scores with someone. It happens.And our cops love nothing better than to bust these sort of parties accompanied by hordes of photographers. Meanwhile hard core criminals and terrorists whizz in and out of Mumbai, manage to escape from police vans, trick these very same cops over and over again, and the cops offer no explanations. It’s the raves that get all the publicity since those involve glamourous ,high profile, affluent party goers.And a couple of young cricketers – as in this case. This is not to ‘justify’ such events, and of course, those found guilty, must be punished. But what about the others who may have been there just to chill out and have fun , minus narcotics or booze? One doesn’t have to attend a rave to find drugs. Walk into any 5-star hotel loo during a mega-Sangeet function or after a swishy fashion show and you’ll find the city’s elite openly indulging in the white stuff. There are die hard, party hard types of all ages and income brackets who do believe things go better with coke ( not the cola!). Howcome, the cops don’t barge into these celebrations? Because of the profile of powerful guests - the presence of top cops, ministers, industrialists, movie stars and yes, cricketers? How many of us remember to carry liquor permits when we step out? If this rule was made mandatory and each time we visited a bar, we were asked to produce a permit, I’m sure we’d comply – we’d have to, or we’d go without slaking our thirst. It is the lack of consistency that confuses party goers. One person’s rave is another person’s social evening. The lines are as fuzzy as the substance being peddled. Let the message go out strongly by all means. And then, stick to it. No matter who’s hosting such parties. As of now, there are clear double standards. The entire process of taking urine samples in unsterilised, unmarked bottles is a joke.And one tends to sympathise with South African player Wayne Parnell(he is on the WADA- World Anti-Doping Agency list) who shrugged philosophically , Ï was at the wrong place at the wrong time.” Better luck next time, buddy!

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Wow! The Indian “Gamcha’’ has made the biggest fashion statement at Cannes, all thanks to Anurag Kashyap’s imaginative party trick to promote his acclaimed ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’’. The humble,desi hand towel had foreign delegates raving ( oops, wrong word!) and for once, India’s presence at the prestigious film festival,garnered compliments for and focused attention on our movies(Vasan Bala’s ‘Peddlers ’’and Ashim Ahluwalia’s ‘Miss Lovely’) and not on what some starlet promoting hair products wore on the red carpet. Does this herald the rebirth of quality Indian cinema? Let the celebrations begin! Where’s my Gamcha???

The Grande Dame of Indian Charity...

The Grand Dame Of Indian Charity

http://www.forbes.com/sites/naazneenkarmali/2012/05/23/the-grand-dame-of-indian-charity/

Naazneen Karmali, Forbes Staff

At 6 a.m. one day last month Rajashree Birla stepped out of the family’s South Mumbai mansion with two of her closest friends. The three women, all dressed in elegant saris, headed not for a leisurely breakfast but to Chinchwad, an industrial hub near Pune, a two-hour drive away. There, on a 16-acre site, stands ­Rajashree’s labor of love: the six-year-old Aditya Birla ­Memorial Hospital, named after her late husband and funded by her family’s foundation.

From the outside it looks more like a hotel, with water fountains and a neatly landscaped garden. The building features a 25-foot-high atrium where the centerpiece is a marble statue of the Hindu deity Ganesha. Visitors are seen removing their shoes and bowing in front of the idol before proceeding inside. “While we were debating whether to have such a huge atrium, I felt hospitals in India tend to be so cramped and crowded, ours should be open and spacious,” says Rajashree, a youthful-looking 65-year-old who’s the mother of billionaire Kumar Birla. “It’s turned out better than I imagined.” She visits the 325-bed hospital every other month, often staying overnight nearby. Sparing no effort for her dream project, she spent a year touring a dozen hospitals in the U.S. before ­construction began.

It took two years and $30 million to build. But for a while after it opened in 2006, it barely attracted a trickle of patients. “Looking at it, people thought it would be too expensive,” she smiles. Then word spread. Patients pay $2 as a one-time registration charge and under $10 for a doctor’s consultation. About 15% of the beds are reserved for the poor, who are treated largely for free. Last year the nonprofit hospital treated 140,000 patients.

The Pune hospital is one of 18 set up across the country by the Birla family and overseen by the Aditya Birla Center for Community Initiatives and Rural Development, chaired by Rajashree. The center is the philanthropy arm of the Aditya Birla Group, a commodities conglomerate largely owned by the Birlas and run by her son, Kumar. A member of the Birla clan’s fourth generation, Kumar inherited it when his father died of cancer in 1995 at the age of 52. FORBES ASIA ranked Kumar No. 116 among the world’s richest people in March, with a fortune estimated at $8 billion.

Apart from hospitals, the center runs 3,500 medical camps annually, where 3 million patients are treated and surgeries for ailments such as cataracts and cleft lip are performed. It also operates 20,000 booths providing polio vaccines to children. The World Health Organization recently declared India as almost polio free because no cases have been reported in more than a year. Rajashree recently donated $1 million to Rotary International for polio eradication.

Another big focus for the center is education; it runs 42 schools near the group’s factories, mostly in the rural hinterland. More than a third of the 45,000 children studying in the Birla schools get a free education. Rajashree says their aim is to work with the poorest of the poor in communities where the group has operations; it has 53 factories in India.

The center’s reach across India is enormous—it has a presence in 3,700 villages and claims to have made an impact on 7 million lives. Some 250 Birla executives help oversee a network of 3,000 staff in the field.

Having an ear to the ground helps. For example, executives at aluminum maker Hindalco’s unit in Renukoot in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh noticed the plight of young widows in villages around the plant who were treated as social outcasts. The center took up the cause of widow remarriage, which is considered taboo, especially among the rural poor. Birla’s social workers approached the village chiefs to convince them that it was a good idea. Prospective husbands were given loans to start small businesses. So far 500 widows have remarried under the scheme. “This project,” admits Rajashree, “is closest to my heart.”

The center is not averse to collaborating with the government. In Rajasthan, where Birla’s cement plants are situated, the center helped build a massive kitchen. It now prepares 30,000 meals daily as part of the state government’s free lunch program for poor kids in public schools. Two more kitchens are being built in Odisha in eastern India at a cost of $1 million to provide meals to 60,000 children daily.

These activities are scrupulously monitored, with reports prepared quarterly. The annual report of every Birla company has a section highlighting the charitable work done during the year. “We take our social projects very seriously,” says Rajashree.

The Birlas’ charitable drive dates back to founder Ghanshyam Das Birla, who was a close supporter of ­Mahatma Gandhi and helped fund the freedom struggle against the British. Gandhi was staying at Birla House in New Delhi when he was assassinated in 1948. The Birlas later donated this property, and it’s now a Gandhi memorial. It houses the Eternal Gandhi Museum, which, too, was funded by the center.

Rajashree’s late husband continued the Birla tradition of giving. The family’s charitable activities involved building temples and schools. But in 1976 Aditya went in a new ­direction, building an orphanage in suburban Mumbai that today houses 250 children. A decade later he decided to scale up the effort substantially, but it was only after his death that the center was started, in 1998. “Aditya wanted the group companies to take up social responsibility in a more structured way and be accountable,” reminisces Ashwin Kothari, the late industrialist’s college pal, who is a trustee of the Pune hospital. “Today, with Kumar’s backing, Rajashree has made this happen.”

Rajashree grew up in the southern ­India temple town of Madurai, where her father was an agent for the then Burmah-Shell. As was the custom in traditional Marwari families, she was engaged to Aditya at the age of 10, and they married when she was 17 in 1965. While she earned a college degree after marriage, becoming the first Birla daughter-in-law to do so, she was content to remain in the background and look after her family; in addition to Kumar, she also has a daughter. Her husband’s death propelled Rajashree into the spotlight. As she acknowledges, “Work helped me to overcome my pain and grief.”

Today Rajashree’s transformation from a shy and soft-spoken Birla wife to one of India’s top philanthropists is complete. At the group’s Mumbai headquarters her office is right beside Kumar’s, separated by a glass partition. She also sits on the boards of all major group companies. “Rajashree’s emerged as a strong individual with her own identity. She’s not tied to the past,” says her decades-old friend Geeta Loyalka, who often travels with her and accompanied her on the hospital visit.

Those who work with Rajashree note her quest for new ideas. “I like to take up a new project every year,” she says. Last year she opened a memorial to her husband in Pilani in Rajasthan, known for its Birla-funded engineering school and a white marble Birla temple dedicated to Saraswati, the goddess of learning. The center is also funding a theater in Mumbai that will be named after him. Future projects include starting a vocational institute in Kerala that will train masons, plumbers and nurses whom the group can hire. But traditional causes still have a place: She’s scouting for land to build a temple near the Pune hospital.

Among the many accolades she’s collected, Rajashree cherishes the Padma Bhushan, one of the nation’s top civilian honors, which she received last year. She’s ­become a role model within the family; Kumar’s wife, Neerja, is involved in some of the center’s ­education-related activities. ­Rajashree notes proudly that her ­grandson recently organized a photo ­exhibition and donated the proceeds to a ­nonprofit for animal welfare.

While she reads the Bhagavad Gita three times a week with a guru, she ­insists that she’s more spiritual than ritualistic and believes in karma: “This is not about me. God has made me an instrument to help people.”

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Here's a well written , terrific story about an amazing woman, written by one of India's best business journos ( and a good friend), Naazneen Karmali. What struck me about the piece is that I have known Rajashree Birla for over twenty years. Have met her at her magnificent home ( close to Ántilia'), and run into her on several social occasions. And yet, I wasn't aware of even half the good work she has been busy with all this while! That's what makes this story remarkable. Unlike most other Mrs. Billionaires, whose charity activities are expertly handled by their P.R. machinery, Rajashree has walked the talk, and done so with utmost grace and modesty. She remains an unassuming, simple person, who smiles a lot, but rarely speaks. Those smiles must come from the countless blessings she receives... especially from the grateful widows whose lives she has transformed.

There's a Pranab in the petrol tank!

I was hoping to cheer myself up a little by revisiting some happy images from my Taipei trip. Just to take my mind off the petrol price hike, which is unprecedented and indecent. What's the bet Pranabda will pretend to 'bow' in front of mounting public pressure and announce a lower hike. But even at an extra 5 bucks a litre ( it's a little more than 7 tonight), car owners may just take to the streets... and it isn't just the rich who own cars in India, remember.

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Before my thoughts turn any darker and murderous, let me take you through these pics. Most of them are of the W Hotel in downtown Taipei. In keeping with the irreverent W philosophy, most services start with the letter 'w'. The bar you see is called 'Wet'( clever!) and 'WHATEVER'' is the aluminium sign that greets people in the lobby.The place is so wired and cutting edge, nearly everything is remote controlled, including the potty. There are panels with buttons for bodily functions - angle of the derriere on the toilet seat, pressure, temperature of the seat, temperature of the bidet water. Why, the smart potty second guesses whether you want to pee or....terribly daunting!

The view from my window was pretty impressive - I could see the iconic '101'tower, which was the tallest building in the world till Dubai's Burj Khalifa beat it. And now even the Burj Khalifa is second to the Skytree in Tokyo.

I have never ever been to Japan. This is a huge loss!! My friend Anita Pratap has invited me... and I am most tempted. It does seem absurd. I love the cuisine, culture, Kabuki, Kurosawa... what's there not to love about Japan? Where I am headed next is Croatia. Can't wait!

The Goyard Story

That's Guillaume, a charming Frenchman who helped my daughter choose her Goyard, with a great deal of patience and understanding. It really is an experience, or else I wouldn't be writing about it. Goyard beat Louis Vuitton by one year, when it opened the store in 1853. Today, its custom made trunks are ordered by the likes of Karl Lagerfeld, who is one of Goyard's biggest customers. But it needed the vulgarity of a Paris Hilton, to get the right royal snub from Goyard when she had the temerity to ask for a discount, because she is Paris Hilton!! She was politely informed that Goyard does not offer discounts to anyone, not even Karl, who, in any case, never asks, even though his bills run into a million euros annually. Yes, just on Goyard trunks! While we were at the store, we watched Chinese and Japanese customers walking off with top of the line bags, without batting an eyelid while settling the bill. And the trunk Guillaume is posing with belonged to none other than Coco Chanel herself ( it has madmoiselle's initials inscribed). No wonder Guillaume's eyes are sparkling!

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This appeared on Mother's Day in Bombay Times....

Let’s put our weight behind Ash….

Any woman who has gone through pregnancy and become a mother, will understand this perfectly: Having a baby is a life transforming experience that beats all other experiences put together. Unfortunately, it is also a shape-transforming experience. That is how nature intended it. When a woman decides to have a baby, she accepts the entire package – additional kilos included. Some women, like Victoria Beckham pop out their beautiful babies without the slightest alteration to their sleek silhouettes – lucky them. Others, take time and allow their bodies to shrink at a slower pace… without obsessing over the extra weight. They make the baby their top priority, nurse the infant, enjoy that marvelous, tender time together, without giving a damn about a double chin, or a few tyres around the waist. Those melt away later, once the new mother resumes her normal routine and starts a simple regimen to keep the newly acquired fat deposits at bay. It is generally a highly narcissistic new mum who chooses to make her own weight a priority above everything else – the baby’s well being included. Clearly, Aishwarya Rai is not that woman. And can we please get off her back and let her enjoy her little one without giving her grief each time she steps out of her home? Frankly, the spiteful and hostile comments to Aishwarya’s post-baby appearance have been so exaggerated one wonders why. Is it because our own idyll of perennial perfection and startling beauty has been somehow shattered? After all, Aishwarya is consistently referred to as ‘the most beautiful woman in the world’. There have been enough green-with-envy rivals who have spent sleepless nights trying to topple her from that throne. Ash was the lucky actress who had it all… including a fairytale marriage to a really sweet guy. Then came the baby news. All this was a bit too much for some to handle. Competitors had waited long years to find that chink in her Ash’s armour… something they could swoop down on. And they found it in – of all places – her weight!

It is like a vicious , orchestrated campaign against a woman who generates a huge amount of jealousy just for looking the way she does. It gives plain looking ladies a vicarious thrill to see Ash in a less than flattering light right now. Her more enlightened sponsors are standing by her, though, insists her spokesperson. And they respect her right to enjoy motherhood minus pressure to fit into a single digit size gown. There’s more to life than that red carpet appearance… yes, even at Cannes. Ash realizes as much.New mothers in urban society have it really hard these days. It is such a pity. We are being brainwashed into feverishly ‘getting into shape’, even before the baby is weaned. There are young mothers who refuse to breast feed their kids for fear of losing their curves and ‘sagging’! There are others who go so far as to say they don’t want to ‘spoil’ their figures by having a baby in the first place. The film industry imposes its own cruel diktats , making demands on mothers in the business to look like svelte and sexy ‘yummy mummies’ overnight… or else! Women are idiotically punishing themselves instead of enjoying motherhood for what it is – a time to make the most of those magical months when an innocent, entirely dependent new life thrives on and flowers with the mother’s unconditional love,attention and care.Ash has chosen to invest in her daughter, rather than hit the gym neurotically or starve herself to fit into those old jeans. It’s time to butt out of her life and leave her alone.Ash has her priorities in place - her mommie- time with the baby could well be the best decision of her life.Besides, the glow of motherhood is the best cosmetic in the world…. Because mother and baby are both ‘worth it’.

Happy Mother’s Day!