Bombay, the fashion and style mecca of the nation, played host to a virtual blitzkrieg of social events these past weeks.

When I spotted some of the elegant company start to have booze inflicted emotional outbursts, and tear-singed cheeks looked the order of the night, I looked at my watch to discover it was getting to coffee time. Careening, capricious women apart, I was gallantly escorted by the host and Chirag, a knight in shining armour, who saw me home after a wonderful evening, amongst friends.

Selective sport

The Rajput suite was the venue of the charming yet unusual evening I went to last week. Ravi Dubey hosted a top drawer evening to felicitate Shobha De on her just-launched book Selective Memories. I was running particularly late that evening and wished I'd had wings to fly, instead of plebeian wheels taking me to my destination. I dashed in, only to bump into the most dashing butler, who in the most proper manner and voice asked if I would like aglass of champagne. Before I would move a foot into the room the charming man had a glass of bubbly in my hand and when I looked up to thank him, those twinkling eyes and grey mop all but gave the story away. Knowing that there was some play afoot I kept a stiff upper lip and moved on to greet Vijay, Parvez, Anil, Harsh and the lovely Shobha. Barely two sips later, I heard the gentleman butler offer to refill my glass, loving every moment of the charade, I acquiesced. Though this time upon his return I said, "Thank you David I don't know whether to kowtow or bow. I am indeed honoured." He laughed and charmingly recanted that he was with Rory (a TV actor) filming for the BBC and had spent a week at the Taj being put through the paces of hoteleering. From bellboy to door man et al the culmination being of course Shobha's party, where he played in the best tradition, an English butler. I was bowled over by his charm and when he asked to please walk him to the door, naive old me fell for the line only to getcaught on camera waving him a fond farewell. The evening flew by on wings of magic. Nana, Munira, Shaina, Basu, Sunil, Pradip, Sunita, Atulya, Sheetal and the `De' clam ensured fun and laughter all around. We toasted Shobha as `the face that launched a thousand books', then ran to the balcony to catch the title of the book lit up in fireworks. Sunil Gavaskar gave us the quote of the night when he said, "to score you just look for the gaps". The double entendre had us all in splits. Memorable evening and the thought that some of it was captured on film for posterity gave it an edge.

Mirch masala

The Bombay Times party last weekend was full of all the mirch and masala of a great Hindi film. The star-studded cast included the finest and best in the land. Heroes there were a plenty and as is wont in a Hindi film the glamorous heroines were on a two to one ratio. Sanjeev Chowdhury, Sheetal Bhagat, Atulya Mafatlal, Rita Dhody and I warmed up to the act at the Bayview in the Oberoi -- TheBaywatch babes would have got a run for their money, clad as the babes were that night.

We descended at the witching hour to hear Usha Uthup belting it out. I met Pradip Guha our host and a dear, dear friend, smiling benevolently, greeting one and all. Papiya, his wife, was next and then it was like being pushed into a womb of humanity. Waves of friends and acquaintances accosted one, only to get washed away. Amongst this multitude of the best I managed to greet Naresh and Nita Goel, Rashmi and Swathi, Aishwarya looking cool and attractive in white, Gulshan Grover, Jackie at his best posing with the staff for the `Polaroid' man. I managed to get to the dance floor just once with the best brawn and brain in the room, Jaideep Garware. Only to come back and find we'd lost lovely Ramona. It was Simi Garewal's birthday and in my desperation to wish my close girlfriend, when I did meet her I completely forgot! Horror of Horrors! Mr Basu of Star TV and I had a chin wag about the people, the food and then Istood for a while catching up with M J Akbar and Vijay Mallya, dapper in a black and white shirt with a black tie tux look -- straight off the ramp in Milan. It always gives a girl a thrill to see a well-dressed man and Vijay had his share of damsels swirling around him.

Shweta Shetty, my close girlfriend from Hamburg, and I had a lot to catch up on but the noise level was rising decibel by decibel so I walked on to the gaming room -- fun! So well thought out and all the young ones were there. Ramona introduced me to one young Turk Kabir Mulchandani of Akai fame, he was so good with his lines I'm sure filmdom's gain will be corporate India's loss if he ever switched lanes. Like the three monkeys though I tried to see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil. After a quick download on the happening's of night with Kishen, Arjun and Shefali, we quietly slunk home. But movie magic had got into me and I wished I could have run around a tree and burst into coy song to say `Thanks folks!' We had a greatnight.

Footnote

Manish Malhotra and Karan Johar invited Simi, Gugi, Sanjeev, Kishen, Shilpa Shetty, Nirmal, Chaya and a few others to a preview of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. In movie parlance buy tickets for two shows to see the film twice. It's brilliant. I wept and laughed and was totally wrapped into the film from the word go. When the film got over I thanked the Lord for blessing our youth with so much talent. The best film I have seen in aeons.

Diwali was somber and quiet this year. It lent a balance to the previous week's hungama. Till the little children in Shivakasi are taken off the labour force that makes crackers, I have vowed not to get carried away with this aspect of Diwali celebration. I wish all my readers a Happy Diwali and a Prosperous New Year!

With Behram: "A class apart... a luminary in the literary fold."

With Sheetal: "Giving The Baywatch babes a run for their money."