There’s light at the end of a tunnel, really. After a string of controversies and unpleasant news rocked the Adani empire, there’s celebration in the household. Gujarat’s first billionaire and country’s biggest wealth creator last year Gautam Adani’s elder son Karan has got engaged.
Your diarist is glad to share the good news that Karan is all set to wed Mumbai-based Paridhi Shroff, daughter of Cyril Shroff (his firm Amarchand Mangaldas is one of the top legal firms in India and hires over 550 lawyers across the country) and prominent lawyer Vandana Shroff. Paridhi herself has been to a law school.
This reminds your diarist of the flashy Jaipur wedding some months ago where Nita and Tina Ambani along with mom-in-law Kokilaben were decked up in exquisite finery. It was Paridhi’s brother Rishabh’s marriage to Saloni of the famous Surana Jewellers’ family. But Karan’s engagement was a low-key affair. Though your diarist can confidently say that the soon-to-be Amdavadi bahu looked awesome.
Karan, armed with a management degree from Purdue University in the US, is the Executive Director of Adani Ports and SEZ Limited. He is more interested in ports, power and logistics than in real estate and lobbying. And, he does not take his father’s riches for granted. Your diarist learnt that Karan went to Mundra, Kutch, by train. Amazing, considering that his father owns not one but two airplanes. Gautam Adani sure has thought up of an excellent way to to ‘train’ his successor.
After Congress-levelled allegations that Modi doled out favours to Gautam Adani made national headlines, it will be amusing to see Congress politicians (who’re currently shouting anti-Adani slogans, mind you!) queue up at the Karan-Paridhi wedding reception. Your diarist is pretty sure of spotting everyone from Kamal Nath and Sharad Pawar to Praful Patel there. It will also be the most talked-about reception of the year, even if ‘low-key’!
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Out and about
There was a time when Akbar Padamsee, one of our most celebrated artists, was never at a loss for words. Always keen on meeting and interacting with young talent, he would be the life of any art event he graced.
Over the years, and understandably so, Padamsee, now 84, has become extremely reclusive. He prefers to spend time ensconced in his studio, working on his next upcoming solo exhibition, rather than go out and meet new people. It is rare to spot Padamsee at art openings these days. And so this comes as a welcome break for this diarist and others who are followers of his art.
Padamsee, we can tell you, will be at a public forum speaking about life in art in the coming days in Mumbai. The evening will see him in conversation with art critic Girish Shahane at the Jehangir Nicholson Gallery, where he will share stories of his time in Paris, along with fellow artists SH Raza and his anecdotes from his long association with M F Husain.
Your diarist can reveal that Padamsee, who is rather enthused about the interaction, has expressed to the gallery that more than the art fraternity, he would prefer to address and speak to students instead. We are certain that this is one opportunity young art enthusiasts wouldn’t want to miss.
Shop and Talk
She has been designing interiors for upscale bungalows for three decades now. And it was only a matter of time before she got into serious enterprenership. Hrithik Roshan’s mom-in-law Zarine Khan, we hear is set to launch her multi-designer fashion outlet in Mumbai in a few days. Now that both her daughters Susanne and Farah are successful entrepreneurs, she could well use some tips on how to talk shop and run it too.
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Deadly duo
When Chetan Bhagat and Baba Ramdev were pitted against each other at a
symposium recently, the session had all the makings of a pot-boiler. The popular author and the yoga man, both played to their gallery, as they dealt with an issue close to their heart, we presume: homosexuality. There were plenty of fireworks during the session, as has already been reported. But what later emerged from the session was how Bhagat had managed to win over the self-styled ‘miracle man.’ Apparently, the Baba was so impressed with Bhagat’s ability to tackle contentious issues that the very night he called him and requested for a meeting. Is this the beginning of a new and formidable partnership? Watch this space for more.
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By design
barely days after her estranged husband landed in Mumbai with his new arm candy, the feisty Priya Sachdev is sparkling on the social radar. Your diarist can tell you that the Delhi-based entrepreneur is hosting an exclusive dinner for fashion’s high priestess Diane von Furstenberg at a Michelin-star restaurant in Mumbai.
On the guest list are a smattering of Bollywood young fashionistas and the usual list of social butterflies. Speaking of designer dos, this diarist is keeping a tab on the very ‘in’ Hanut Singh, who is set to make his annual Mumbai trip. We hear Hanut, who has been heavily endorsed by Hollywood A-listers (including Meryl Streep), has found a fan in another Indophile, Christian Louboutin. Apparently, the man who makes the world’s most desirable heels considers Hanut’s earrings and necklaces an “addiction” he “does not regret.” Mutual admiration club?
