Chatterati

Asian Connection
After the recent launch of the Manchester United Café,Palladium was the venue for the launch party of Punjab Grill and Asia 7 on Saturday. The contemporary Punjabi and pan-Asian eateries are both Delhi-based restaurants that have been brought to Mumbai by a joint venture between Zorawar Kalra,son of legendary chef Jiggs Kalra and Amit Burman,Vice Chairman,Dabur India. The party circuit veteran Kishen Mulchandani was naturally present as were Big Boss contestants Alina and Sana Wadiwala,with Alina looking pretty in her LBD. Ex-actor Gayatri Joshi-Oberoi looked gorgeous,though she was sporting an unexciting black and purple dress; model Namrata Barua looked far more chic in a gold dress with a large motif necklace featuring flowers. We just wish Shailendra Singh,the playback singer,would button up his shirt and not sport blingy chains.

Showstopper Jiggs,despite being wheelchair-bound,was still graciously hosting the party. We hope to see more of the now Delhi-based chef.

Nepal on a canvas
A relaxed Sunday afternoon saw the city’s art enthusiasts breeze into the India Fine Art Gallery,Tardeo,for a display of some fabulous Nepalese art works by The Gaekwad Art Foundation—a trust set up by Princess Asha Raje Gaekwad of the Baroda royal family. The princess,along with her son Pratap Sinh Gaekwad and stunning daughter-in-law Princess Praggyashree,played gracious hosts to many of the city’s prominent faces including Natasha and Adar Poonawalla,Nandita Mahtani,Narayan Seshadri,Chirag Doshi,Penny Patel,Laila Lamba,Arvind and Tanya Dubash and Ashish Goel. The guests eyed the artworks,spanning Indian mythology to modern city skylines,over sparkling wine and cocktails.

Showstopper Nepalese artists Uma Shankar Shah,Kiran Manandhar and Shashi Bikram Shah proved once again how art truly transgresses national boundaries.