Mumbai in print

At the announcement of the new imprint on Friday evening at Indigo,John Makinson,Penguin Group’s Global CEO said,“Penguin’s partnership with Shobhaa will hugely extend our reach in Indian publishing,attracting new authors and new readers.” Ravi Singh,Editor-in-Chief and Publisher,Penguin India,elaborated how the imprint would help bring out more books based in the city and celebrity biographies.

Dé—who has been associated with Penguin for more than two decades now—joked that with her new responsibilities,she feels more like a “grandmother”. However,the author of many bestsellers like Socialite Evenings Sisters and Starry Nights did stress on finding “fresh,energetic,new voices that reflect contemporary concerns” for the imprint.

The author,who looked stunning in a white sari with gold border,went on collecting compliments throughout the evening—not just for her looks. Her writing and the new partnership with Penguin were as much in focus. With

Shobhaa Dé Books,Penguin becomes the first publisher in India with an exclusive imprint for commercial publishing,and also the first international publishing house with an editorial presence in Mumbai.

The city’s glitterati obviously didn’t think it was wise to skip such an event. They dropped in looking their best and partied till long after the announcement was made. The early birds included Naina Lal Kidwai,Indu Shahani,Tina Ambani,

Anish Trivedi,Siddharth Dhanvant Shanghvi,Diana Hayden,Zeba and Rajesh Kohli. The flow of high-heeled well-wishers continued even after the announcement. Vijay Mallya,Abhay Deol,Adi Godrej,Roohi and Chetan Jaikishan too made their way to the Colaba restaurant where a new chapter in the city’s literary circuit was being scripted.