London Calling

A young NRI bought the only bridal outfit in his collection 8212; a day before the presentation started. The exhibit was a two-day affair, held at the posh Hilton Hotel.

And unlike other designers who come to London with jacked up prices, Tarun made sure his clothes cost the same 8212; whether you paid in rupees or pounds. Getting price wise seems to be Tarun8217;s new mantra, as the designer is now looking at introducing a more affordable line, in the near future.

After London, he left straight for New York, the city where Tarun learnt fashion designing. As a matter of coincidence, Shaina NC was also in the Big Apple, this week, holding a similar exhibition for the Yankee NRIs.

Play away

Fashion designers apart, Mumbai8217;sculteratti too seem to think that the city is worth a visit. Last Thursday, the entire cast of Mahatma Vs Gandhi flew down for a special showing of the play. This is not the first time that Naseeruddin Shah has been on stage in the UK. A couple of years ago, he performed in a desi version of Cyerno de Bergrac. Though the play received mixed reviews, Mahatma Vs Gandhi was a big hit. All the wealthy Punjabis and Sindhis turned up, including the Tandons, Sethias, Chellarams and even the High Commissioner of India.

Mrs Politician

It is not only Indians from Mumbai who are hitting the headlines here. A few native Indians too have become the talk of the town. One lady who seems to be doing very well for herself is Zerbanoo Gifford, the Parsi lady who is married to a prominent English lawyer. She is well-known in the world of politics ever since she stood for election as a Liberal Democrat candidate, some time ago. Though she lost the seat, Zerbanoo remained very active in the world of politics. Andfinally she has been given her due recognition Jack Straw, the minister in charge of home affairs, has asked Zerbanoo to help him out. Her job profile: Looking at race relations in England.

A little aside: Zerbanoo8217;s son was in India last year and he created quite a stir. A model handpicked by Jean Paul Gaultier, Alexander was in Mumbai shooting for a film. While no one has seen the rushes of the film, the handsome young boy was quite a favourite with the city8217;s lovely ladies.

And finally

Most of the young girls in London are suffering from a broken heart these days. Lakshmi Mittal8217;s only son, Aditya, recently announced his engagement to Megha. A Marwari girl, apparently the two met at a wedding function in Calcutta. The wedding will be held later this year, in India. But the engagement party was held in London, two weeks ago, at the Mittal home. And all the important NRIs based in the city turned up to congratulate the couple, including G K Noon and the Madhvani family.