Mutual admiration between Akhilesh Yadav &Shabana Azmi, while Lalit Modi's son Ruchir gets ready to enter world of cricket

Mommy dearest

Happy birthday, Amma, Mama, Ma, Mommy, Ammin! Gracious, courageous, gentle, benevolent, upright, serene and so much more...Amma you are a woman of immense beauty! Love you forever and ever,” these fulsome words of praise were posted on social media this week on the occasion of Congress leader and three-time Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit’s birthday by her doting daughter Latika.

“The house is teeming with people, cakes and flowers. We’ve had over 60 cake-cutting ceremonies. Party workers, colleagues, and friends visited her and there’s no place to stand or sit,” said Latika when we spoke to her at her mother’s Nizamuddin East home. “A number of party workers from outside Delhi as well as staff who had worked with her when she was CM, came to wish her,” she said, adding, “There were endless selfie sessions and hundreds of phone calls”.

Dikshit, who we spoke to, was her gracious self inspite of her hopes of becoming UP CM being dashed due to the Congress’ electoral defeat. There is after all a special reward for the good and kindly Dikshit, who retained her humane qualities in spite of political success, and is among the best of them.

She’s no prophetess of doom

The past week saw mutual admiration flow between former UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and actress Shabana Azmi. “Congratulations Shabana for the Mijwan shown in the US. You have brought international fame to the tiny village,” Yadav had tweeted about the NGO set up by the late poet Kaifi Azmi to empower the women there. The glittering fashion show was held at New Jersey’s Marigold Center last week. “It was to announce the Indian Academy Awards in June and they were honouring women achievers,” said an exuberant Azmi, whom we spoke to on her return. “Designer Manish Malhotra very kindly agreed to accommodate the dates in his busy schedule and four Indian models, myself and Namrata Goel (daughter of Jet Airways founder Naresh Goel and Azmi’s god-daughter) flew in for the event,” said Azmi, adding, “Unfortunately, we could not take any of the women from Mijwan as none of their passports were ready!”

What followed was a platform to showcase the village’s development. “We have a VLCC training centre and an ATM there,” said Azmi delightedly, adding, “And the clothes sold out phataphat”.

Talking about UP’s new incumbent CM, the ever practical Azmi said, “I am no prophetess of doom. You can be strident and outspoken in opposition, but high office demands responsibility and temperance. I would like to wait and watch,” adding, “I was a big supporter of Akhilesh’s development agenda, and his fresh approach”.

The best of design

They epitomise the country’s best of design and aesthetic sensibility and so, when Delhi-based mother-daughter duo, Sunita and Kohelika Kohli flew in to Mumbai this week to attend the fourth edition of Architectural Digest India’s AD50 —which felicitated the 50 most influential names in architecture and design for 2017 — it was no surprise that they were featured prominently in its list of ‘The Visualists’, featuring specialists in luxurious homes. 

Meticulously handpicked by Greg Foster, Editor of Architectural Digest India, the evening also saw the launch of a limited edition coffee table book titled 50 Inspiring Spaces 2017, which featured works by Kohelika Kohli’s firm, K2, prominently.

Others who were honoured on the occasion were architects Ashiesh Shah (Connoisseurs), Abha Narain Lambah (Luminaries) and Nozer Wadia (Hall of Fame).

Son rise

Lalit Modi, the ex-chairman and commissioner of the IPL, appears to have had a small victory in his ‘fight for justice’. Last week, Interpol rejected India’s appeal to issue a global arrest warrant against the high flyer and issued a notice on March 24, stating, “Lalit Kumar Modi is not subject to an Interpol Red Notice or diffusion and is not known in Interpol’s databases.” And now, word comes in that his son Ruchir Modi is all set to spread his wings in his father’s former happy hunting grounds — the world of cricket administration. Ruchir, who commentated on the Interpol statement on social media, saying, “Congrats dad, the truth has finally prevailed”, has been a frequent visitor to India. Always accompanied by an extensive personal security cover, the dapper young man gave his first interview to an English news channel, standing tall at the Lodhi Hotel, his residence of choice in the Capital, much like his father’s. “Watch my first ever media interview with the world famous #sreenivasanjain on the developments of #RajasthanCricketAssociation at primetime (sic),” he tweeted later. Another high-flying, flamboyant Modi in cricket circles now?

Those were the days

For those who think that the grandees of Indian fashion have always looked so, well, successful (read: wealthy and well upholstered), this might come as a surprise. An archival record of them in the form of a newspaper article from 20 years ago was unearthed this week, featuring them in their lean and hungry days. This gave much cause for hilarity. A clean-cut Rohit Bal, like your average boy-next-door (quell horror!) look, Tarun Tahiliani looking positively emaciated, Ritu Beri, Rina Dhaka, Ranna Gill and Raghvendra Rathore in the first flush of their innocence, along with a cherubic JJ Valaya (mercifully, some things have not changed.)

“Look at us 20 years back!” crowed Vallaya delightedly on chancing upon the evidence. “In hindsight, I see determination and strength. We are all still working,” he added.