Tags:
Journalism of Courage
Think Tanks, Think Tank
After the notoriety that GAP8217;s little blue dress got after the President8217;s Monicagate encounter in the Oval office, one cannot help but smile at their latest logo to sell tank tops. If anything the logo got me thinking of the situation back home where our caretaker think tanks are seriously thinking tanks as they lead us to the brink of a war of nerves which could fast deteriorate into the real thing, a full-scale war between the two nations. Ironic that the Oxford Street McDonald8217;s should play A R Rehman and lure the palate with curry chicken burgers, in a keen understanding of quot;ethnic sellsquot; and our war mongerers are going the ethnic cleansing route a la Milosevic? Both nations have enough on their plate to keep them busy for a lifetime yet they choose to sabrerattle as though in a war game. Can we ever hope to achieve the economic progress of China, even if against a longer time-frame, if we sabrerattle like prankish boys? Wake up India! If we put our economic powerhouse inorder we can mail-order a war via the net in a few years virtual reality setting to boot. But now?
Europe is booming, London is thriving and World Cup apart, there are enough Indians here to bring Air India into the black, if they chose to woo them and care for them as the competition does.
This year for my sabbatical I have chosen to travel without a maid in tow. Oh! What a relief! I feel so bonded with my younger one, almost joined at the hip. My elder son joins us next week when we will feel all the more like a close bonded unit, self-sufficient, independent and free. Marvellous!
On my first day in London, Meena Hingorani of Dianoor8217; fame invited Abha Modi, Farida Atala and me to lunch at the Nicole Farhi restaurant. We picked at greens and bits of salmon, till my son decided to have a plate full of French fries. After that we were salivating like Pavlov8217;s conditioned dogs, at the sight of the thick, deep-fired chips. I vaguely floated the Jacqueline Bisset line that once over 40, one had to eitherlook like mutton dressed up as lamb or get a little beefed up to not let the wrinkles through. Tough choice, but it8217;s nice to be in the company of Cher, Madonna, Debra Winger, Kathleen Turner and Oprah Winfrey who are going through a middle stage crisis and sporting a healthier look. A concession perhaps to the final assault of the raging hormones kicking in. Makes one feel like a one-legged gal in an ass-kicking contest.
Back to the lunch, women being women we talked and talked, yakked and laughed till we were convinced that only toodling back to Dianoor to see some of their gob-smacking, mouth watering oh! I8217;ve got to have it8217; baubles would make our day. The most outstanding sautoir perfectly matched candy-sized or bigger emeralds with diamond beads that I8217;d ever seen were my first visual pleasure. The price? Near a million dollars! Four large ball-sized emerald strands had been strung with barrel-shaped diamond spacers and black onyx spacers to bring out the colour, feel and pricelessness of thismagnificent necklace. I was so enchanted yet awed that I took Divya Singh of Bharatpur for a looksee the next day. She almost swooned with joy and excitement. I figured if a Maharani was as fascinated, Iqbal Mubarak the quiet, reticent gentleman-owner of the best little jewellery shop on Bond Street would have a keen interest being evinced by his regulars. Equable amp; Mean are co-hosting the Red Cross Ball in November where this particular beauty of a necklace makes her prom appearance. Bet she gets bought, signed, sealed and delivered soon after.
Who say8217;s machismo as in chauvinist pig is dead in the West? In the divorce of the century, Mick Jagger, having flown his wife and 400-odd guests to his wedding in Bali some 20 years ago, is making up the ultimate lie to beat them all. He says the marriage was a sham, a hocus-pocus! A Balinese symbolic nuptial tie? The British courts are now examining all the reams of evidence placed before them, some of it the family8217;s dirty linen. This divorce will drag everylittle nuance of privacy these two very public Jerry and Mick have ever had. And then there will be more grist for the grindmill. When the Latino porn queen girlfriend shows up with her month-old son8217; who looks like a dinky version of Mick or so the tabloids would have us believe. Let8217;s put these facts and figures and the difference in the alimony paid to Jerry 8212; who has had four of Mick8217;s seven children 8212; ranges from 5 million if the marriage wasn8217;t kosher! to 50 million if it was! Bah! They could fund our tanks and quot;think tanksquot; with that kind of money. Though knowing the legal system as well as I do, a healthy share will find it8217;s way into the pockets of the legal eagle8217; who may win you a round or two in Brownie points but not much else. Bruised egos are kept quite intact and that8217;s where the catch lies. They want to feel guilty as sin, but are buttressed through all by their lawyers, cranial practitioners, yoga experts and shrinks. Thank God some things don8217;t change after all.
