A Home with a ViewIf you have ever lived on top of a hill, it beats being on top of the heap, just for the view. But you have to have arrived on top of the heap, to have a home on top of the hill, and a room with a view. The trials and travails of just living guarantees an angst for the mould which life cast you in, it pushes one to afford yourself a lifestyle thereon. How hard that way up is and the pain and hardship that goes into the keeping of that position is a test that life in all it's quirky glory puts one to constantly. To question is a luxury that only the good life affords. To break with tradition is a lonely path one carves for oneself, the road is uphill and jinxed, the going tough - few of us are put through this grist of life itself unless you were meant to succeed and land on top of the heap - somehow - from then on it is at the painful plateau of life itself - that one merely exists - let alone survives and from then it is a painful burst upward or a sad downward spiral.Tosurvive and fight and then build a home on top of the hill is the stuff of dreams, culled out of a lifetime of hardship, manifested in a reality called "HOME". I went to Gauri and Shah Rukh's home over the weekend for a house warming, which did warm my spirit. It is a one-of-a-kind home. In the spirit of "I am and forever will be". A housewarming it was, but their home on the hill was modern and like the proud owners Gauri and Shah Rukh, young and full of a passion as if for life itself. Their friends were there. People from every walk of life mostly on top of the heap or at least upwardly mobile. People countdown: The Birlas - Yash and Avanti, The Ambanis - Tina and Anil, The Godrejs - Parmesh, and Adi, Tanya Dubash, The Singhanias - Gautam and Navaz, Natasha Nanda, Arjun Mehra, Pradeep Guha and Raja Dhody. The stars were there but more of the take me seriously kind. Kajol, pretty in beige and with an attitude! Shilpa and Shamita Shetty - gorgeous sister duo! Subhash Ghai, Achala Sachdev, Maheep Kapoor,Svetlana, Subhash Ghai, Salman Khan, Aamir Khan and Jackie, Karan Johar, Manish Malhotra, Dharmesh Darshan.The party itself was held on the spacious terrace. To reach the terrace one had to climb a winding wrought iron staircase which led up to a large bar-cum-dance floor and then out on to the terrace. Gauri has done a marvellous job putting together a home that is modern hi-tech, yet warm. The Pepsi fridge dispenser was a cute reminder of Shah Rukh's active ad campaign for the company.Everyone I met that evening was relaxed and having fun and almost everyone knew everyone else, so there was great bonhomie. Gauri looked ravishing in a bronzed gold sari. She was all over the place ensuring that everyone was well taken care of. Avanti looked radiant in a green salwar kameez, pregnant? Sure, but svelte to boot! There's a thoroughly modern mother for you! Another about-to-pop any day mamma was Maheep Kapoor. I managed a quick hello, to learn she was in her ninth month. I wish them both all the very bestthrough to term. I was resting on a chair at the bar with Shilpa when Adi Godrej came to say `Hello!' I couldn't help but comment that his companies seemed to be doing a millennium spring clean, to become lean, mean money machines. He laughed and concurred. Parmesh, I met soon after. It would not be an exaggeration to say that this power couple look as good as they did a decade ago. Parmesh, in a white Herve Leger, could give any twentysomething a run for her money or man! We giggled like school girls when she said "They will have to take me to my grave the way I am - having fun." To me that epitomises her exuberance, taking life on your terms, determined to squeeze every ounce of positive out of it. A lot of people out there who moan and whinge about life should take a leaf out of Parmesh's book. Karan Johar, Manish, Shilpa, Shamita, Krish and I had "cooled" off in baby Aryaman's room before hitting the party. Manish and Karan have been on a rigorous diet and exercise programme and look all the better forit. It's my turn now and though I keep postponing D-Day I'm going to have to go on a crash diet for the next few weeks just in time for Pradeep's Time's party which he promises is going to be the best yet. As we left the party, Shah Rukh was at the gate. I shared some honesty with him, his response was so humble, yet honest. Hey! You know what he may be numero uno in the film industry and live in a house on the hill but he shoots straight from the heart and that's why he will stay number one not just on the countdown but in the popularity stakes as well.
