Malavika’s Mumbaistan: Epic Bromance?

It appears the loose-cannon and once one of the most influential men in the country, Amar Singh, has another modus operandi

In the past, he’s trained his guns on former friends Anil and Tina Ambani, Jaya and Amitabh Bachchan, and a virtual truckload of political leaders such as Akhilesh Yadav, Uddhav Thackeray and Azam Khan, taking potshots at them and taunting them at every given opportunity. But now, it appears the loose-cannon and once one of the most influential men in the country, Amar Singh, has another modus operandi: he’s taken to tweeting his pique directly to people — mostly the highest in the land, perhaps in hope of a response and a public showdown. What else could explain his latest salvo this time, to former BFF, and now favourite punching bag, Amitabh Bachchan, over the weekend. “My former friend @SrBachchan has done a nice thing for UP’s debt-ridden farmer’s loan waiver. Is he thinking of doing something about waving (sic) the emotional debt? #AmitabhBachchan gratitude is very temporary & it ends with a dry thank u. God bless u for doing something good,” he’d written, in response to reports that the actor had pledged ₹5.5 crore to repay the debt of more than 850 UP farmers recently. And, with these words dripping with hurt and bitterness, Singh gave every reason to believe that we are witnessing the break-up of a bromance as epic as that between Paul Theroux and the late VS Naipaul! Has the famously unflappable Mr Bachchan, with his zillions of followers, deigned to respond to this latest jibe with one of his dry asides? We are not sure, but a few hours later, his timeline carried this: “Sarcasm is the language in which one tries to speak the faults of others but ends up exposing one’s weaknesses…”

REUTERS

Hmmm…

A Homecoming And A Launch

AD Singh (second from left) with Anil Chopra, Manoviraj Khosla and Ash Chandler

Of how many restaurants can it be said that it opened its doors 18 years before it actually did in its new location? Something of that vibe was expressed at the launch of AD Singh’s Olive Goa in Vagatore this Saturday night. What everyone was referring to, of course, was that when Singh had opened his flagship, Olive, in a little bylane of Khar all those years ago — and almost single-handedly launched the standalone hipster restaurant boom in the country — it had been a paean to Goa, in spite of its Mykonos inspired décor. What was meant was that if anything had brought a slice of Goa to diners in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, and God knows where else, it had been the laid back chilled vibe of Goa which outposts of Olive offered by the bushel full. So as expected on Saturday night, when it officially opened its doors in Goa after almost two decades of the brand launch, and the restaurateur along with wife Sabena hosted what they called the “craziest, laziest launch party with friends and family”, it was something of a gathering of the tribe. Many who’d flown in from across the country and abroad had been old friends and patrons of the restaurateur for almost two decades, and with DJ Vishal Shetty at the console, Ash Chandler at the mike and chefs Manu Chandra and Evan Gwynne’s tasty plates, a good time was had by all.

Overheard

“I say women who go into a hotel room, and a man opens the door in his underwear or in a bathrobe, should either run for their lives or be prepared to fight back unwanted advances.”

-Tavleen Singh, in response to Barkha Dutt’s video letter asking why she objected to the current #MeToo movement.

Gone Girl

Yahel Chirinian

It may be as subtle an indicator of the changing seasons as the flight of wild geese but the fact that Yahel Chirinian, the French artist and aesthete, packed her bags and departed from Goa after setting up home and studio there for almost two decades this month has made people (especially those in Goa ) ask if this might be the time to look for greener pastures themselves. After all, Goa has been witness to so many migrations. From Vijayanagara monarchs to Portuguese rulers, the international hippy community, Bombay Bohemians and the hipster Delhiites, along with the Israelis and Russians, many waves of settlers have ebbed and swirled around the sun-kissed coastal state in Western India. Chirinian had been part of the wave that had seen international artists, healers, musicians and seekers plant their flags here, assimilating with the local culture and leading creative, free-spirited lives. But, as all things, Goa appears to have become victim of its own success. Along with its popularity came unplanned and mostly unauthorised construction, environmental degradation overcrowding and poor infrastructure. Around five years ago, we began to hear the rumblings: a die-hard, hard core community of international artists and designers were already beginning to say the Goa they had fallen in love with was fast disappearing, as five star hotels, international business symposiums and an ersatz party hearty crowd had swarmed it. Where would they go for greener pastures and cleaner skies? Some spoke of Coonoor, others further east of Ubud, and had left. Through it all, Chirinian had stayed, often against great odds, carving a name for herself as a mirror glass sculptor of international renown and one of Goa’s iconic personalities. Then, a few weeks ago, she took to social media to announce her departure. In her characteristic style, the message was full of magic and hearts and fairy dust and, as usual, she’d left no clues about her onward plans. Which is why, when we chanced upon this recent picture of the artist with two magnificent Alsatians in her new home in Provence, we were delighted. “Almost set in our new factory-home,” she’d posted. “Paradise is not a place, it’s a feeling.” As for Goa, perhaps not too much ought to be read into a few departures because even as we speak, it seems to be witnessing what appears to be its nth invasion of settlers. This time, a well-heeled tribe of young boho bourgeoisie couples from Mumbai and Delhi seeking their Nirvana. Yes, it’s not as good as it once was, but with little by way of other options, the Goa check-ins show no signs of stopping.