Of Books and Things

Several over the last decade or so have long fought for the title of Mumbai’s best ‘Hostess with the Mostest’ after Parmeshwar Godrej hung up her party boots in favour of more charitable concerns. The diadem is now firmly ensconced on the bottle-blonde head of Roohi Jaikishan. With two supremely elegant women to follow — her mum Noorjehan Oomerbhoy is a legendary fashionista of the Postman oil family,and her mother-in-law is the much-adored couturier Pallavi Jaikishan — Roohi’s party-throwing skills are finely honed.

All roads led to Roohi’s maternal home,an ochre palace facing Chowpatty beach,to toast a recently-concluded literature festival. Among the Mumbai chatterati were Natasha and Adar Poonawala,Avanti and Yash Birla,Bonita Bulchandani,Raja Dhody,Ramona Rodella,Tasneem Mehta,Mallika Sagar and Leah Dubash. But also some really special authors of our time: the gregarious William Dalrymple (who called the buzzing party “a lesson in anthropology”),Jeet Thayil,Adrian Levy,Urvashi Butalia and the star of the soiree,Hanif Kureishi.

In the midst of endless champagne tulips,a seafood platter with wide-eyed prawns and some good old-fashioned nihari,co-hostess Farah Oomerbhoy gave us some wonderful news. The mum of three is working on a children’s adventure-story trilogy and the first book is ready to be published. She went on to share some gems from the plot,the trials and tribulations of her heroine Aurora,and we can assure you it sounds rather enchanting and really very good.

Needless to say,her launch party will surely be hugely looked forward to.

mumbai.newsline@expressindia.com