Wellness dinner
The card for my dinner that I hosted at Taj Wellington Mews for J Wellness Circle from The Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL) said 6 pm, and I was pleasantly surprised to have many of my friends walk in with impeccable punctuality — a rare phenomenon in India.
At this soirée, unlike my usual trend of curating specific social circles, I invited special friends and wellness enthusiasts. It was an elegant fusion of my corporate confidantes while amplifying the Taj’s J Wellness Circle ethos to discerning individuals who resonate with the luxury of Spas and wellness.
The Taj Wellington Mews lounge—which I had reserved for the evening—hosted some of Mumbai's most formidable women achievers, compelling me to capture them in a single frame.
Among them were my friend Anisha Vora, gracing the latest Forbes cover; head of NCLT Anu Bhatia, the illustrious attorney Mrunalini Deshmukh; pioneering IVF gynecologists Dr. Rishma Pai and Dr. Nandita Palshetkar, founder of Blooms clinic; accomplished author Bhavana Roy; and Almona Bhatia, the astute business head of Tata Cliq.
And no it was not a ladies thing only, I had a mixed group of precious friends.
Festive lunch
It was a sparkling gathering of women adorned in kaleidoscopic Indian attire and jewels at Shilpa Anand’s festive lunch. An assemblage of ladies bedecked in vibrant peacock colours and ornate festive jewellery spangled every corner of her sea facing home and I enjoyed my weekend morning immensely with this all women crew. The piece de resistance was undoubtedly the culinary masterpiece — Shilpa truly excelled herself in the gastronomy department but the chaat counter at her lovely deck was also very popular.
Arty soiree
The most ingenious soirée of the season, was Deutsche Bank's evening cocktails in the courtyard of their palatial heritage edifice in Fort. The majestic white-domed structure, reminiscent of Mumbai's colonial grandeur, stands as a magnificent landmark and I often show off this favourite edifice to foreigners visiting Mumbai.
I perpetually harbour hope that the bank might bequeath it to Mumbai as a museum. Is anyone taking note? Mumbai yearns for additional museums and art galleries. Isn't there a saying that cities teeming with artistic endeavours foster more successful and psychologically balanced citizens? This evening particularly enchanting to me because of the cavalcade of master artisans, positioned along the corridors demonstrating their craft, performing folk melodies and offering their creations for sale.
I found myself utterly captivated by their magnificent works — I never tire of immersing myself in the exquisite artistry of our indigenous Indian craftsmen. I acquired several pieces, even though my walls can accommodate no more and I worry at my family’s disapproval at amassing even more art.
Meaningful convos
Some individuals possess an eternal youth — a quality more cerebral than chronological. I've observed this phenomenon in my close friends Manju and MK Sanghi who is also the honorary consul general of Kazakistan, who perpetually exude joie de vivre. Their dinner, honouring the Chief Minister of East Kazakhstan, Yermek Kosherbayev, and Kazakhstan's Ambassador to India, Nurlan Zhalgasbayev, at The Oberoi's Jaipur Suite, was intimate and grand. I almost always prefer sit-down dinners of meaningful conversations with kindred spirits, which precisely characterised the evening. Even the minister and ambassador were refreshingly witty and fun—a rare quality indeed.
It seems nearly inconceivable that December looms mere weeks away; it feels like we bid farewell to December 2023 just yesterday.
