Malavika’s Mumbaistan: That Old School Tie

It’s been the incubator of future judges, ministers, diplomats, academicians, thespians and the occasional revolutionary, and if there’s any doubt that the old-school

It’s been the incubator of future judges, ministers, diplomats, academicians, thespians and the occasional revolutionary, and if there’s any doubt that the old-school tie is alive and kicking, even though much else appears to have changed considerably in our lives, you only have to hear former Stephanian and celebrated mountaineer, the Delhi-based Mandip (Mandy) Singh Soin (History MA 1974-79) on the latest instance of the venerable tradition. On a visit to Bhutan to attend a UNEP conference in Thimphu, Soin found himself part of an impromptu St Stephen’s old boys meet, which transpired at the coffee shop of a five-star hotel. “On my left sat Dasho Tshering Wangchuk, a few years my junior at college, but the young and wise chief justice of Bhutan,” said the delighted member of the college hiking club in his time. “Seated next to him was the wonderful former bureaucrat Atul Bagai, now the head of UNEP in India, who’d been two batches my junior. Dasho Sonam Tobden Rabgye who just retired as Bhutan’s ambassador in Bangladesh sat beside him. We were also joined by S Mudgil, the entrepreneur and brilliant athlete, and my batchmate Dasho Kunzang Wangdi, the former chief election commissioner of Bhutan, who used to sit next to me in class.” And of course, in spite of the gathering’s collective gravitas, as everyone knows, any good alumni meet is an excuse for unbridled nostalgia. Midnight rappelling into the canteen to raid its contents, graffiti messages scrawled hastily on college walls of ‘Kilroy was here’, hard-bike riding with souped-up butterfly handles were some of the things invoked. “And of course, there was fond reminiscing about the wonderful samosas and barfi that was served by an old gentleman called Sukhiya and later his son, at the dhabha inside college,” said Soin.
Boys will be boys.

Mandip Singh Soin (extreme right) with fellow alumni of St Stephens college, in Thimphu, Bhutan.

True Lies
The Camera Never Lies?
It’s good that polite society has a sense of humour or there could have been much hullaballoo following the recent posting of an amorous picture by an attractive Mumbai-based media maven of herself as part of a couple gazing tenderly in to each other’s eyes. It’s aesthetic appeal expectedly attracted a fair share of likes and comments, but the fact that the couple just happened to be married to other people (and that too presumably happily) also elicited a few remarks about the appropriateness of offering it up to the virtual world in a manner that could be misconstrued.
Of course, the two featured in the pic, found the whole exercise hilariously funny and jousted humorously about it with each other throughout the day. But the moment caught by a camera at a social do was pretty heavy duty, and we note, neither of their spouses had reacted to it at the time of going to press. May be they have too have developed a sense of humour?

Tweet Talk
“It was so MASOOM of Urmila Matondkar to expect CHAMATKAR for her DAUD in Congress. She thought it will be a KHUBSOORAT experience, but it turned out to be a JUNGLE of BHOOT. Congress will have to expect this JUDAAI thinking she did a small DILLAGI with them.
-Tweeted by @coolfunnytshirt

Celebrating Sharmilla

Sharmilla Khanna (extreme left) with Quennie Singh (in white) and guests at the lunch.

It’s going to be something of a festival of celebrations around former model and choreographer, the lifestyle retail entrepreneur, Sharmilla Khanna, whose 60th birthday falls at the end of this month. The festivities were kicked off this weekend by her long-time friend from her modelling days, Queenie Singh, who threw a pink champagne lunch for the birthday girl. Other lissome models from her glory days, most of them with grown-up kids of their own, who have forged successful second careers for themselves, spotted at the all-girls bash were Nandini Sen, Suzanne Pillai, Colleen Alfonso Khan, Aditi Govitrikar, Anna Bredemeyer, Beverley Soares and Reshma Bombaywala. They were joined by Pinky Reddy, Leila Lamba and Laila Furniturewala, Prerna Goel, Vidya Malvade, Pria Kataria Puri and Lata Patel amongst others. “Sharmilla’s generosity and kindness is felt by all those whose lives she has touched,” said Sen, whose transitions from model to actress and wife and mum of a budding actress herself have never been far from Khanna’s concern and support. “For me, we are so much more than friends, I feel. She has supported me and my daughter Tashu (actress Tara Alisha Berry) with so much generosity and love! Our relationship is a rare gift of kindness, mutual respect, acceptance and love from God, for which I am eternally grateful.” But let not these deep and enduring emotions take away from the giddy excitement of the moment. “Those who couldn’t make it to Queenie’s are planning other lunches and dinners in her honour even as we speak”.