The Money Men

Here’s a sneak peak at Vijay Mallya’s yacht party aboard the Indian Empress @ Monaco, basically an after-race party at the Monaco Grand Prix on 24th May. Looks like quite a good time eh? Also if you’re wondering um.. but who are these people? Obviously they’re rich and famous (for it!) *sigh* this reminds me of my rich list… Anyway dontchya worry, celebrity 101 aka the “who’s who?” follows here…

Vijay Mallya

Vijay Mallya is an Indian billionaire and Rajya Sabha MP the son of industrialist Vittal Mallya, Vijay Mallya is the Chairman of the United Breweries Group and Kingfisher Airlines, which draws its name from United Breweries Group’s flagship beer brand, Kingfisher.. In 2007, Mallya and the Mol family from The Netherlands bought the Spyker F1 team for 88 million euros. The team changed its name to Force India F1 from the 2008 Season. Team’s car VJM-01 was named after its owners Vijay Mallya, Jan Mol and Michel Mol. As of 2008, Mallya was ranked as the 162nd richest person in the world and the 41st in India with an estimated net worth of $1.2 billion.

How he got rich: Mallya took over as Chairman of the United Breweries Group in 1984. Since then, the group has grown into a multi-national conglomerate of over sixty companies with an annual turnover which has increased by 639% to US$11.2 billion in 1998-1999 . The focal business areas of the group encompass alcoholic beverages, life sciences, engineering, agriculture, chemicals, information technology, aviation and leisure. In 2005, Vijay Mallya established Kingfisher Airlines.

Richard Branson

Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson is an English industrialist, best known for his Virgin brand of over 360 companies. Richard Branson is the 236th richest person according to Forbes’ 2008 list of billionaires, with an estimated net worth of approximately $2.4 billion USD.

How he got rich: Branson’s first successful business venture was at age 16, when he published a magazine called Student. He then set up an audio record mail-order business in 1970. In 1972, he opened a chain of record stores, Virgin Records, later known as Virgin Megastores and rebranded after a management buyout as Zavvi in late 2007. With his flamboyant and competitive style, Branson’s Virgin brand grew rapidly during the 1980s — as he set up Virgin Atlantic Airways and expanded the Virgin Records music label.

Flavio Briatore

Flavio Briatore is an Italian businessman. He is managing director of the Renault Formula One team and joint owner of London’s Queens Park Rangers F.C.

How he got rich: He met Luciano Benetton, founder of the Benetton clothing company. The two became friends and eventually business partners. When Benetton opened his first five stores in the United States in 1979, he appointed Briatore as director of the group’s American operations. Due to Benetton’s unorthodox methods of franchising, the chain experienced a brief boom in popularity in the US. By 1989, there were eight hundred stores in the United States. Briatore, having taken a cut of each franchising agreement, became very wealthy.

Raja Dhody

Raja Dhody Entrepreneur and proprietor of the restaurant Nanking in Delhi.

How he got famous: Enough gossip space has been dedicated over the last two years to the divorce of Raja Dhody and ex-model Queenie Dhody who were married under Islamic law while he was still married to first wife Rita. The last nail in the coffin was a glamorously dressed Queenie on the cover of a magazine, admitting to her new lover Farhad Taraporewala—the ex-husband of her one-time best friend Anju Taraporevala.

Adrian Sutil (right)

Adrian Sutil is a German Formula One racing driver. Sutil continued with the team in 2008 under its new identity as Force India.

How he got famous: Sutil started karting at 14 before moving up to Swiss Formula Ford 1800 in 2002. He won all ten rounds of the season from pole and added five wins in the Formula Masters Austria championship. Sutil speaks fluent German, English, Spanish and a little Italian.

Vitantonio Liuzzi (left)

Vitantonio “Tonio” Liuzzi is an Italian Formula One test driver for the Force India Formula One team.

How he got famous: His karting career culminated with winning the Karting World Championship in 2001. In this race he managed to beat Formula One champion Michael Schumacher at Kerpen, the German’s ‘home’ kart track. He was appointed test driver for the Force India F1 team on January 10, 2008

Michael Johnson (right)

Michael Duane Johnson is a retired United States sprinter.

How he got famous: He won four Olympic gold medals and was crowned world champion eight times. He is the only male athlete in history to win both the 200 m and 400 m events at the same Olympics, a feat he accomplished at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.

Gautam Singhania

Gautam Hari Singhania is Chairman & Managing Director of Raymond Limited. Both he and Vijay Mallya are considered to be the more flamboyant Indian tycoons. Gautam Singhania also has a major penchant for big expensive toys, he has a fleet of luxury cars, several yachts (all named after James Bond movies, no kidding!) helicopters, and a private jet.

How he got rich: Singhania joined Raymond Group of Companies in the year 1986. He has been a Director of J. K. Investo Trade (India) Ltd. since June 1990. Singhania was also appointed as Whole-time Director on the Board of Raymond Ltd. in 1990 and was, thereafter, elevated to the position of Managing Director in mid-1999, in charge of all companies and … subsidiaries of Raymond Group in India and abroad.

Mario Thiessen (centre)

Mario Theissen is BMW Motorsport Director and team principal of BMW Sauber, the company’s Formula One racing division.

How he got rich: BMW was credited with having the most powerful engine on the grid. While achieving notable successes, such as a strong championship challenge in 2003. In the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix Robert Kubica led Nick Heidfeld to finish 1 and 2 for the team giving Theissen his first victory for BMW as a constructor.

The Kingfisher Girls

These are The Kingfisher Girls. They are currently neither rich nor famous. They are hoping however that since they are hot and sexy (hahaha I know, I know I’m such a bitch) they will soon be both (or at the very least in the calendar.) Hey you never know who you meet in first class these days, glamour queens/aspiring socialites Maureen Wadia, Parmeshwar Godrej and Nina Pillai were once Air-India hostesses who met their wealthy future-husbands in-flight! Good luck ladies.

Shiney Happy People

Genelia D'Souza

Sophie Choudry

Sunny Sara, Arpita Khan & Nitin Goenka

Maheep Kapoor (in ceres jewellery), Nandita Mahatani and Pinky Reddy

Anjali Zaveri trying ceres jewellery

Tanya Deol & Paulomi Sanghavi

Queenie Dhody

Sangeeta Bijlani

Farah Khan & Seema Khan

Nitin Goenka, Maheep Kapoor and Navneet Goenka

Avanti Birla

Last night Nitin & Navneet Goenka (think Goenka Diamonds & Jewels Ltd.) launched ‘CERES’, a luxury personalized store at Bandra (West) on Turner Road, featuring a designer collection of high end jewelery crafted from the most unique, rare, finest diamonds & precious gemstones. Pitched at “connoisseurs with a passion for the finer things in life” (aka people with money.)

Champagne and sushi floated around a room full of the fully loaded including Maheep Kapoor, Avanti what-are-you-wearing Birla, Neelam Kothari, Haseena Jethmalani, Tanya Deol, Genelia D`Souza, Nandita Mehatani, Alvira Agnihotri, Arpita Khan, Simone Khan Arora, Poonam Bhagat, Farah Ali Khan (Dj Aqueel`s Wife), Rima Jain, Neeta Lulla, Anu Deewan, producer Farah Khan, Aarti Surendrenath, Sangeeta Bijlani, Zoya Aktar, Chayya Momaya, Rhea Pillai, Queenie Dhody, Seema Khan, Anna Singh, Suriley Goel, Gauri Pohoomull, Neeta Lulla, Paulomi Sanghavi, Shaina NC, Ruksana Eisa, Sharmilla Khanna, Anjali Zaveri, Pinky Reddy, Anita Raj, Neelu Amrohi, Yasmeen Karachiwala, Sunny Sara, Sophie Choudry, Pink Reddy and blast from the past Sangeeta Bijlani.

I’m told that the distinguishing feature of Ceres jewellery is that each piece is lavishly crafted to create ‘the antiques of the future.” What a novel thought and way to think ahead folks. (This kind of reminds me of what the good people at Mutton Street (an oddly titled stretch dedicated to woodcraft in Mumbai) and a lovely shop owner in Kerela once told me. Since people love antiques, they dull finish a lot of new creations to give them that ancient treasure look and even scruff up perfectly polished wood pieces for the unsuspecting (and evidently rookie) collectors that drop in daily.

Once again I marvel (enviously) at the ability of some to live in a bubble so far removed from the recession that they’re probably out shopping right now. Last year the Goenka turnover amounted to Rs.450 crores while this year they anticipate 900 crores from the retail segment. (FYI their product range starts from10 lakhs to several crores.)

They even have a range called “G-Wild” obviously targeting gen next, a one stop shop to provide classic pieces starting from 10,000 to 5 lakhs.

As Arthur Miller once said (Death of a Salesman), “The Jungle is dark but full of diamonds.”

Because… this rocks.

Nritarutya

Haseena Jethmalani

Mona Singh and Rakshandha Khan

Hemant Trevedi and Radhike Khanna with the children

On Friday evening at NCPA, Mumbai S.P.J. Sadhana School Celebrated 35 years of successfully bringing life and joy to the lives of some very special children. Students of the Visual Arts & Crafts Department in the fourth year of their course, showcased the extraordinary skills of the mentally challenged and painstaking dedication to creating a visual extravaganza designed and conceptualized by fashion guru Hemant Trevedi and the Sheetal Design Studio. (Hemant has been associated with the school for more than a decade and has orchestrated two successful fashion events, “The Awakening” (1999) and “I M Possible” (2004) for the school.)

I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it and I’m struggling to find the right words to express what an absolutely brilliant experience this was.

The evening showcased 8 thematic sequences on the ramp and an exquisite performance by the unique dance troupe Nritarutya.  In addition Aruna Raje, a critically acclaimed film maker showcased her stirring film on the lives of these students as they put their hearts and souls into the project aptly titled “Because … I am.”

Dr. Radhike Khanna, the charming and unassuming Vice Principal of S.P.J. Sadhana School, spent the evening in the front row cheering and clapping for all her students who immediately flung her a flying kisses full of unadultrated love. At this point Juhi Chawla burst into tears and I know exactly how she felt.

Juhi Chawla

Models like Deepti Gujral, Parvathy Omnakuttan, Mashoom and Shamita Singha, Candice Pinto, Kavita Karayat, Sucheta Sharma, Mridula Chanrashekar and Amit Gauhar sashayed in the stylish emslebles with  with hand painted florals, hand made jewellery in clay and beads along with the students who worked on the project.  The host Rakshandha Khan was her enegmatic self and enjoyed a little play-fighting with the show stopper Mona Singh.

Others who lent their support to this wonderful cause included Shobha De, Kunal Kohli, Haseena Jethmalani, Reema Jain, artist Brinda Miller, actress Madhu, Pankaj Udhas with wife & daughter, Anup Jalota, Queenie Dhody, Anita Dhongre, Sangeetha Kathiawad, Chhaya Momaya, Hemu & Naz Jhaveri, Bijal Meswani, Kedar Gawde of Celebrity and Manini De.

Dr. Radhike Khanna put it so well when she said, “Art is the finest way of doing anything.  Education that focuses on challenging the creative mental processes of an individual, results in the transformation of the human spirit. We are very happy and excited that our children have got this opportunity to display their unique talent. We were very thrilled with Hemant being such an integral part of our event “Because …. I am” which recognizes that our students are alive individuals with their own identity, complete and unique personalities.”

The students used the skills and techniques they’ve learnt in their course like brush strokes, stenciling, spray painting, paper quilling, beadwork, embroidery and silk painting to create high quality fashion wear. As witnessed in the film the concentration and focus with which they work helped them overcome their disabilities to become the young, talented and fresh designers of the Visual Arts Ramp.

Gemini Tee

I especially loved the pieces evoking imagary from aincient civilizations like Mohinjodaro and the very trendy zodiac inspired baby tees.

Now here’s where you come in the collection with be available for sale at both SDS Design Studio and SPJ Sadhana and the proceeds will go to the school.
The clothes are exquisit and children are so worth it.

Extending the Olive Branch

AD & Sabina Singh

A.D. & Sabina Singh have played host since Sunday at their elegant new Olive branch at Mahalaxmi Race Course. On Monday night, while the seasoned party crew ordered grub and got comfy the hot model brigade showed up around midnight and swept all the shmoozing action out to the pebbled courtyard (evidently Nina Manuel’s body sock and boots raised a quite a few confused eyebrows.) Meanwhile inside (from where you get a charming view of the stables) Reshma Bombaywalla beamed all night enjoying the Latin tunes, Queenie Dhody made quite the entrance decked head to toe in a golden Barbie doll ensemble, Ash Chandler indulged the camera with a rendition of “O sole mio” and a gorgeously expectant Anaita & Homi Shroff mingled effortlessly – even with the baby only two weeks away. And just when you thought you’d seen all the eye candy that would turn up in one night Gautam Singhania, Arjun Rampal, Meher Jessia and Preity Zinta (still sporting her cricket hangover in a Punjab Kings tee-shirt, Jeans and flipflops) showed up too. Clearly a bubbly evening (and for some perhaps too much bubbly) Farrokh Chotia’s pretty-young-companion staggered out precariously post midnight!