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Way to go Ideasmith. You rock baby !!

Jeffrey Archer on Landmark tour!

..proclaims a hoarding on Andheri Link Road a few feet before Infiniti Mall which houses the Landmark store. The lower two floors look fairly sane, I think to myself as far as weekdays go. Even the second floor which looms into sight as the escalator rides up looks remarkably normal. Then I notice the mountain of bags lying at the entrance. And I’m stopped by the polite but firm female guard who shakes her head almost sorrowfully and tells me that I cannot carry my battered copy of As the Crow Flies in.

I push my way past the jewelery counter, the New Releases rack and past the music section. Voila!! What’s a celebrity without the crowd? Archer has succeeded in drawing the mob to the store on a weekday. It’s so crowded that people are stepping on each other’s toes even among the magazines racks that signal the start of that heaven that is Landmark’s book section.

I slither through the crowd in a manner perfected by years of Mumbai train travel and end up right at the back, smushed up against Movies while Jeffrey Archer regales a crowd from a stage in what is otherwise the aisle between Maps and Language.

All around people are standing, waving cameras, cellphones, microphones and books in the air. Thank goodness for my genes, thank goodness I’m wearing heels I murmur, doing my yoga stretch of toes, torso, neck and forehead. Small wonder then that the guy next to me jerks his head around in curiosity. And from the corner of my eye, I follow his gaze zip down to my feet. I want to yell,

Yes! Heels are the only way I’ll ever be on eye-level with you…on tiptoe! Now how about tearing your eyes away from my fabulous legs and towards the guest? We are in the presence of peerage after all.

But I refrain and try changing position instead. After a repeat (thrice!) I give up on the priorities of mankind and focus on the man on stage.

Archer speaks as well as he writes. White hair notwithstanding, he leaps nimbly from IPL to Bollywood to writing and politics. The last actually comes in only as an almost unconscious reference in conversation and is not touched upon again. When someone in the audience tries to steer him back to politics, he darts away so quickly he has the audience laughing with him.

The audience is hanging on to every word and even the seasoned TV anchors are laughing along with him. I pause in my live-tweeting to listen to an anecdote of his previous day’s meeting with kids and when he ends with,

I must say the girls are so much smarter than the boys!

…I join in the loud applause and laughter. As I sink back to terra firma I wonder how I’ll describe him in my post. Politician? Jailbird? Novelist? Firang-in-India? I settle for Charmer. And true to that description he winds off by saying that an author is someone who has access to so many minds…and is very privileged indeed. Indeed. Well-said.

Now he’s telling us that he has a dinner in 40 minutes at a place 2 hours away but that he’s not leaving the store until the books are all signed so we can all go have a cup of coffee and a chat if we like and he’ll still be there. Only, could we relax and not trample each other?

Hah! I smirk, you’ve never been to India, Lord Archer…wait and watch! Sure enough, there is pandemonium in exactly 24 seconds with the Landmark staff trying frantically to get the chairs out of the way, TV crew shifting angles, journos vying for soundbites and the junta being junta. I am too far from the stage to see his reaction but what to do, we are like wonly.

The ruckus is silenced by a loud, very loud, shrill female voice airing her disapproval and screeching,

Please, I say!! There’s no need to crowd around, I say!!! Let’s just be civilised and queue up, I say. What is this crowding and rushing and pushing, I say?!!!

The whole floor stands stock-still. Effective, I say and the staff look almost relieved.

I hang back and walk around, watching people mill about. Chattering teenagers, young couples, older couples, people in their 40s are all walking around. Everyone is toting A Prisoner of Birth.

I run through all the Archers I’ve read, in my head and wonder how good this one will be. I think wistfully of my own As the Crow Flies lying on the security guard’s shelf and debate on buying a new copy. I settle instead for guzzling juice and biscuits.

An hour later I’m still there, watching from the stage at the back, now free of TV cameras. The crowd has thinned out as well so I think it’s time to get in line for the signature. As I near the stage, the girl in front of the table practically yanks me by the collar (except I don’t have one) with a withering look. My books are then snatched out of my hand and thrust into Jeffrey Archer’s face and then thrown back at me before I have a chance to react. She certainly isn’t one of the Landmark staff. What is it darling, I smirk in my mind? The pretty-bimbette-swooning-over-you act? Or the in-thrall-of-goras syndrome? Or the I HAVE TO BE IN THE LIMELIGHT Page 3 habit? Well, whatever, my books are signed and that’s all I care.

And as I prepare to jump off the stage, Jeffrey Archer calls out to me,

Miss? Did I sign your book?

I smile back and him and nod a yes.

Back home, I open my bag. I have bought A Prison Diary as a keepsake to be able to tell myself (since I’m probably not going to have grandkids) that I saw the author in person. In my other hand is Twelve Red Herrings and I pause, smiling.

It’s the 14th July 1994. The sun is streaming in through the windows of a high-ceilinged classrooms, fans whirring loudly and drowning out the nervous chatter of a 100-odd teenagers. It’s the first day of junior college. And I don’t know a soul there.

She walks in cool and poised in black jeans and a tee-shirt so smoothly that all of us in the third row, mid-introduction gape. She glides into the empty seat in front of me and puts her bag down. Then she turns around and smiles and in a hesitant voice asks me my name. We are interrupted a minute later by the entry of the professor but I’ve just had enough to time to answer her question about my hobbies, with a monosyllable,

BOOKS.

The conversation resumes in the breaks and between lectures. Everyone is excited and nervous and wanting to know each other and ally themselves with whoever looks strongest, prettiest, smartest and coolest. I wonder why she’s paying any attention to me when there are so many others vying for her attention. After class, we walk out together and stop at her bus-stop. The others disperse. Abruptly she turns around and says,

I just know we are going to be friends. I knew it the minute you said that you loved books. I do too! There’s my bus, see you tomorrow!

14 years later, her voice travels echoes in my mind, whispering in math class, telling me about the book she finished last night and ending with,

My favorite is Never Stop on the Motorway. It’s sooo scary!

I’ve learnt by then of her weird fascination with spooky thrills. I smile and pencil in on the page after Archer’s signature,

For my best friend,

You were right. It was a good story. 14 years later, here’s the book again just so I can prove that I do listen to you. And you can prove that I agreed you were right. :-)

And long after it’s fashionable to say that I like Jeffrey Archer, I’ve finally met the man whose words have had such deep meaning on the most important friendship in my life. Thank you, Lord Archer, it has been a pleasure, a real pleasure.

Gone are the days when moms looked like moms. Now its mom who look like their kids elder siblings. Tube tops, off shoulders, capris, backless are the latest fashion trends for the moms in the city. So on this Mothers Day lets meet some of the hottest moms who have flaunted themselves in many front pages.

Looking at Mallaika Arora Khan, you wouldn’t guess she is a mother of a four-year old (Arhaan). This photogenic model has appeared in numerous advertisements, item numbers and now is all set for her full fledged film role in Shaadi Ke After Effects starring her hubby, Arbaaz Khan.

A mother of four-year old daughter Nysa, Kajol Ajay Devgan may not be tall, fair or conventionally beautiful, but all that is forgotten by her sheer screen presence and charisma.

Madhuri Dixit made her comeback with Aaja Nachle after a five-year gap to take care of sons, Arin and Ryan. The film might not have rocked, but we still love Mads for her amazing ek do theen hip shakes.

This is one Dream Girl who looks dreamier as she gets older. In fact, Hema Malini can give her own daughters, Esha and Ahana Deol, tough competition! Infact seeing her in Coffee with karan, she seemed like a pretty chilled our sexy mom :)

Mother and grandmother, Dimple Kapadia continues to turn heads. Daughters Twinkle Khanna and Rinke Khanna can barely hold a candle to their gorgeous mom.

Last but not the least the utmost super sexy and super cool among all of them. She has always been ‘different from all’, the lively, smart Sushmita Sen has chosen to walk the path of motherhood slightly dofferent, a path less travelled by otehrs. She and her adopted daughter pretty much make a sexy duo.

Yes around 30,000 runners, including 40 of the world’s 100 top athletes, will be participating in the fifth Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon, on Sunday. Thousands of Mumbai residents will line the over 20-km-long route from CST to Bandra Reclamation to see these super shuttles run.

The stars of the tinsel town, the biggies of the business world and also the highly sophisticated, prim and proper socialites will also be sighted running a pace or two. And I suppose that will be just enough for the media coverage. But can’t deny the fact that their brief presence will surely motivate the other runners.

Last year, the marathon raised almost Rs80 million for various charities involving 150 NGOs. This year, the organizers hope to raise almost Rs100 million. The Mumbai Marathon, which is the richest marathon in Asia and also features among the top ten marathons in the world, has emerged as the single largest charity event in India.
This year, the prize money has been raised by $10,000 to $240,000.

The Mumbai marathon includes five categories: the full marathon (42.195 km), the half marathon (21.097 km), the dream run (six-km), the senior citizens run (4.3-km), and the wheelchair event (2.5-km).
Did you know that our city has some professional marathon runners? Well I never had a clue so until I came across this website; click here to read his blog. I also read somewhere that there are some very senior citizen runners (90+ yrs old) too. The city never ceases to amaze me and this is one of the reason I love this city.

The dream runners will include celebrities like John Abraham, Vivek Oberoi, Rahul Bose and Suchitra Krishnamurthy (all Bollywood actors) and Revathy Menon, Madhavan, Khushboo and Rohini (from the celluloid world of the south).

So Are you ready to run ?

PS: Don’t forget your running your shoes :D

The starting price is Rs 10,000. Proceeds from the sale will go to the NGO Bharmour Development Agency working towards the development of tribals in Himachal Pradesh. The key handing function will be held in Chandigarh or Gurgaon in November. Yuvraj will hand over the car himself.

So all you fans of Yuvraj can go online and start bidding. Good Luck ! Did I mention that the money recvd from selling this car will be donated to charity? Keep it up Yuvi Boy.

On the other hand MTDC has pulled out a cheap stunt. They are offering tourists a drive in the bus that carried the T20 world champions from the airport to Wankhede stadium. MAHARASHTRA Tourism Development Corporation Ltd (MTDC) is trying to cash in on the T20 cricket fever and has offered tourists a drive in the bus that carried the T20 world champions from the airport to the Wankhede stadium.

Nilambari and Vibhavari, the two buses will make round trips from The Oberoi Hotel and tourists can be a part of the historical bus for Rs 90. They can also book this bus for any occasion they wish to celebrate. MTDC inaugurated the services on October 13 and clims to have recieved a big reponse on Saturday when India took on Australia in the T20 match at the Brabourne Stadium.
I mean common yaar its not like the men in blue toured in this bus for a entire series / career. It was just a couple of hrs and who would want to spend 90 bucks just because the men in blue sat on the very same seats for a couple of mintues. ( I say this cause half the time the team was standing and waving to people on the roof of the bus) .

Content courtesy – Mid-day

Rakhi Sawant and Abhishek Awasthi
Rakhi and Abhishek first met on the sets of a shoot and later, during gym sessions and stunt classes.
Abhishek proposed to Rakhi in South Africa but she didn’t take him seriously. She finally said ‘yes’ during the celebrity reality show, Bigg Boss.
“Abhishek is not just a great dancer but a great cook as well,” Rakhi says. Incidentally, he had his own dance academy in Kanpur during his college days

Shweta Keswani and Alexx O’Neil
Shweta and Alexx first met at Mumbai’s J W Marriott hotel. Shwetha’s parents always wanted her to marry a Sindhi, but now, have an American for a prospective son-in-law.
“I have to first translate the lyrics to Alexx and then start rehearsals with him,” Shweta laughs.
But Alexx is now getting used to the jhatkaas and thumkaas.

Karan Patel and Amita Chandekar
Amita did not know Karan until she showed up at his place with one of his friends. They met often after that, and one day at a party, he asked her if she fancied the rest of her life with him.
The couple are currently shooting for the serial Kasturi together.

Shakti Kapoor and Shivangi Kapoor
They first meeting was a disaster because Shivangi saw Shakti in a wig with grey hair. Later, when he removed it, she found him very charming and fell in love with him.
“My wife and I are enjoying dancing with youngsters and hope the whole world will enjoy seeing us dance,” Shakti says, adding, “I am dancing with some of my friends’ children and my son’s friends are on this show. I hope they enjoy dancing with us too.”
Shakti and Shivangi are the oldest couple in the lot.

Vikas Sethi and Amita Sethi
They met each other for the first time in a club, and tied the knot soon after.
Amita, a trained kathak dancer, serves as an airhostess with Air India.
Vikas, meanwhile, is popular as Swayam, in Kahi To Hoga. He also stars in Kasauti Zindagii Kay.

Karan Grover and Kavita Kaushik
They first met at a hotel and later at a party. Karan offered her a drink and she asked him ‘Are you the bartender?’ They are still high on life.
Karan stars in serials like Saarathi and Meri Awaz Ko Mil Gayi Roshni, while Kavita has done a lot of serials like Tumhari Disha, Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki, Kumkum – Ek Pyara Sa Bandhan and Dil Kya Chahta Hai.

Aamir Ali and Sanjeeda Sheikh
Aamir and Sanjeeda met at a friend’s party and soon, became good friends.
She became popular thanks to the serial, Kya Hoga Nimmo Kaa, and is currently seen in Kayamath, while Aamir Ali has been seen in serials like Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki and Woh Rehne Wali Mehelo Ki.

Kashmera Shah and Krushna Abhishek
They first met on the sets of a film, and very soon, fell in love. Krushna is Govinda’s nephew.
Kashmera, who was last seen in Bigg Boss, is all set to sizzle on Nach Baliye.

Kiran Janjani and Ritu Janjani
The first time they met was when Kiran gave her a ride to a common friend’s birthday party. From there, they steered them into a journey of love.
Kiran earlier worked for the Jet Airways, and has done quite a few ads. He starred in Deepak Tijori’s Oops! as well.
“Now if you see my wife and me fight, it will be only for the dance steps,” he says.

Pooja Bedi and Hanif Hilal
She met Hanif at the dance reality show, Jhalak Dhikla Jaa, where he was her choreographer, and they clicked instantly.
“Each couple has performed well. You cannot say some are experienced and some or not,” Pooja says.
Hanif has his own dance troop called Flame and used to have shows in Mumbai and Pune.

Content Credit : Rediff.com

Sessions Court in Jodhpur which upheld the five-year jail term for actor Salman Khan in the Chinkara poaching case, turning down the actor’s appeal against his sentencing last year. The actor failed to appear for the hearing, saying he missed the flight to Jodhpur from Hyderabad where he is currently shooting.

Salman will now be arrested unless he surrenders before the court himself. [IBN Live]

It’s astonishing isn’t it, the way our thinking works? When Sanjay Dutt was handed with 6 years prison sentence, I felt a little bad but overall was happy with the outcome. As they say, “Justice had prevailed”, though I know there are many who would argue with me on this.

But the thing that bothered me the most since Sanjay Dutt’s punishment was what would become of my favorite Salman Khan. To make things clear, no I am not delusional – I am well aware of the fact that many across the nation are more sympathetic towards Sanjay but not Salman. To the actor’s disadvantage, his past (besides the crimes committed) has a lot to do with it as well – troubled relationships, scandals, (rumored) underworld connection, dadagiri and the likes.

No, I am again making it clear; the purpose of this post is not to defend him. Like any other ordinary citizen, I too believe that be it Salman, Ambani or whoever golden spoon fed dude, should be treated equal in the eyes of the law. If a crime has been committed then they should pay for it; no two ways about it.

But no matter how logical and appropriate the consequences may sound, the fan inside of me wants to disagree. It’s hard not to be affected, it’s difficult not to be filled with sadness – it’s tough to be immune. The selfish nature within wants to see him walk off scot-free; his negative past to be forgotten or some loophole to be found in the system, so that the charges against him are dropped.

Then again in life things usually don’t happen as per our wishes, no matter how desperately we want them to come true. On the other, I truly believe…what goes around comes around.

These are naught but the ramblings of a distressed fan and they end thus:

Dear Salman, I shall always remember you for the good things and forever you shall be my Hero No. 1 but dude without any denial this is the time to reap what you have sown.

Goodbye but only for now.

With a number as high as 15 million, there are only a handful among its population who have managed to standout and make a place for themselves in the hierarchy of our dubious society. And keeping in mind the “7 Things about Mumbai” theme, here is my list of 7 most popular citizens of this city, who in very real terms ‘Live Life King size’.

Bal Thackeray – When you mention Mumbai and Politics in the same breadth, the one name that immediately makes its presence felt is, Bal Thackeray, the man behind the now “tainted” political party, Shiv Sena. Often referred to as the ‘Tiger’ by his followers, the cartoonist turned politician has been a center point of many controversies ever since he founded the hardline Hindu party more than 35 years ago. Frankly speaking, I completely detest this man and his party’s so-called philosophy of “sons of the soils”. The reasons are innumerable – their intimidating and (often) violent campaigns, fanatic beliefs, self appointed moral police behavior, vandalism and last but certainly not the least, Mr. Thackeray’s role in sparking anti-Muslim violence in Mumbai, which led to more than 1,000 deaths.

However, no matter how corrupt and immoral his actions have been over the years, the fact still remains that even today Bal Thackeray is described as the uncrowned monarch of the western Indian state of Maharashtra.

The Bachchan Parivaar – Claiming the thrown from the Kapoor clan, Amitabh Bachchan and his superstar parivaar, without any hesitation be considered as Bollywood’s First Family. The elder son of Harivansh Rai Bachchan, Amitabh was a former stage actor, radio announcer and freight company executive in Shaw Wallace in Calcutta, before coming to the land of dreams, Mumbai. Despite early failures, in no time the Indian film industry was declared a ‘One Man Industry’, and Amitabh Bachchan its undisputed king. Later on, Amitabh Bachchan married actress Jaya Bhaduri in 1973 and had two kids, the now most sought after actor Abhishek Bachchan and up-coming television anchor, Shewta Nanda.

But as they say, “fame doesn’t come easy”, the Bachchan family has had its share of ups and downs – cold war with the Gandhis, (rumored) dispute with Shah Rukh Khan, ABCL failure, extra-marital affairs and the most recent, the Farmer’s Land controversy.

Regardless of such bad publicities, the Bachchan Family’s strong-hold in the Hindi Film Industry and their huge fan following has never been affected. Plus with the addition of the new bahu, the former Ms. World and Bollywood’s International Face, Aishwarya Rai – The Bachchan Family today is labeled as one of the most expensive brand in the country.

Ambani Brothers – The Fortune group magazine ‘Business 2.0′, just recently came out with the list of “The 50 Who Matter Now” – and guess what? Apna Ambani bhais managed to get a spot for themselves, which proudly announces them as one of the world’s 50 most influential people in business. The Ambani Legacy is no less than a perfect Bollywood Pot Boiler story of rags to riches. And what makes their story even more entertaining – is their inner bitter rivalry.

"These billionaire brothers from India are locked in a bitter intra-family rivalry, and each seems intent on leading the group of companies he inherited from their late father in a different direction," Business 2.0 said on why they matter.

While brother Anil maybe slightly rejoicing over Mukesh bhaiya’s SEZ trouble, one thing is for sure there can nothing that can stop these business boys from stacking their bank accounts.

Ekta Kapoor – She is bold, she is aggressive and is known in the television industry for her massive tantrums but the one fact about this young Kapoor is that “you” can never ignore her. Barely in her mid-twenties, Ekta Kapoor entered the television backed with nothing but few “innovative” ideas and the burden of her, (once) superstar dad’s expectations. And as they say…the rest is history. Ekta, without any doubts is the only woman who dominates and demands her way in the small-screen entertainment world.

Agreed, Balaji Productions have over-burdened us with their conniving in-laws, bitchy daughters, aagyakari sons, vampy mothers with visually painful dressing sense and never-ending sagas of joint families (that would put even the folks at Rajshri Productions to shame) – but in the business where high TRP rating is the ONLY goal, Queen Ekta is a pro at it .

Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar - Probably the only cricketer in the history of Indian cricket to be widely considered to be one of the greatest batsmen of all time. He currently holds the records for the most cumulative runs in One-Day Internationals, and the most number of centuries scored in both One-day Internationals and Test cricket. 34 years old and still going strong….do I really need to say more!

Meeran Borwankar - A tom-boyish teenager for whom love meant nothing but her bike and whose headstrong attitude made her college lecturer’s think of her as India’s finest police officer in the making. And very soon she turned their dreams into reality, in 1981 Meeran Borwankar joined the Police Force and took over responsibilities which were primarily asserted as a “Man’s Job”. But this was just the beginning; soon she was made Mumbai’s Joint Commissioner (Crime), a portfolio one would barely expect a woman to hold. In 2006, she was presented with President’s medal for meritorious service, one of the most honored and prestigious award in Government Services.

In my opinion Mrs. Borwankar is definitely a positive role model for many young girls, who dare to dream beyond household chores, marriage, children and other womanly expectations of the society. Though last but certainly the most controversial of the lot,

Himesh Reshammiya - From production assistant to composing music to singing and now acting, this Mumbai lad has surely come a long way. Today his trademark style of sporting a baseball cap, stubble, fitting jeans, and a belt with an oversized buckle – has made him a house hold name but it’s his nose which has gifted him the stardom and others envious of his popularity.

If you ask for my two bit on His Himeshness, it would be – good musician, bearable singer and a pathetic actor.

Hopefully July 31^st would put an end to the ever-going Sanjay Dutt Trail – either the man’s probation plea gets rejected or he is allowed to walk off with freedom for good.

Judge Kode had earlier declared that Dutt was not a terrorist but had found him guilty under the Arms Act for illegal possession of an AK-47 and other weapons. If the actor’s probation plea for suspension of sentence (on grounds of good conduct) is tossed out, then he could be sent behind bars for a maximum term of five years.

And if one takes into account Judge Kode tough stance, he has sentenced as many as 11 convicts to death; the above scenario seems to be the most likely outcome. Plus sitting behind Yakub Menon in the TADA court while he was handed with “death sentence” must have surely done some damage to Dutt’s moral.

Personally speaking, I think Sanjay Dutt’s probation plea should be rejected. Since he has been convicted under the Arms Act, he needs to be suitably punished for it. As they say – You do the Crime, You do the Time. Obviously the sentencing should take into account his 18 months already served in prison, I guess a slightly lenient term of a year sounds more appropriate.

On the other hand, if Dutt is set free, this decision may not go down well with the certain sections of the society and many others prosecuted under the 1993 blasts case.

Now whether his blue striped shirt and denim pants would help clean out the voodoo off him (and Bollywood), well only time will tell – me just praying for an end, once and for all.

Right now I think this all I found intersting in the Ash -Abhi wedding… the rest is all OK.

Anyways here are some pictures of the couple. Apparently someone who had been to the wedding circulated these pictures. Am sure Mr Big B must grinding his teeth seeing these pictures all over the media.