Old Friends & Familiar Smiles
Have I ever told you how special old friendships are to me? Like a song from childhood that instantly transports you somewhere magical. Or the smell of something cooking that triggers the memory of a favourite moment.
World-famous dentist Dr Suchetan Pradhan is that friend to me. Responsible for some of the world’s most famous beauty queen smiles, including Aishwarya Rai and many Miss Worlds, I simply know him as a loyal friend with whom I’ve shared laughter, celebrations and memories over many years. For decades now, Suchetan has been quietly responsible for some of Mumbai’s most photographed smiles. While the rest of us worry about wrinkles, wardrobes and waistlines, he has built an empire around the one thing every beauty queen, actor and model eventually needs — good teeth. Not a bad business model when you think about it.
Some of us friends hosted an intimate celebration at The Oberoi’s iconic Phoenix cafe at a celebratory afternoon with select friends. It was one of those grand Sunday brunches where conversations were savoured.1 Dr Vijay D.Y. Patil, Farah Khan, Simone Arora, artist Jaideep Mehrotra, Seema Mehrotra and other favourite friends gathered around the table to celebrate and sing for this much-loved friend.
Now perhaps it isn’t wise for me to compare a cherished friendship to an old comfortable pair of shoes. It may have implications on my future oral beauty. But comfortable, enduring and familiar is what I’ll stay with.
What amused me was that around a table full of accomplished people, the conversation inevitably drifted towards ageing gracefully, health, wellness and longevity. Which is perhaps what happens when one reaches a stage in life where preserving things becomes more important than acquiring them.
Talking About Bouncing Back
When the Rotary Club of Hanging Garden invited me to deliver their finale inspirational talk for the year, my mind immediately harkened back to my TEDx talk. While it had been much celebrated and so brought together a full house at Siddaganga Institute when I actually jumped onto stage - within a few seconds of me starting the microphone failed repeatedly, the electricity blinked like a 90’s disco, the bluish lighting made me resemble a startled extraterrestrial, it was one of those bad hair days, and I felt anything but inspiring. It’s a marvel I managed to get through the talk at all, and the memory made me shudder at what surprises awaited me this time!
This talk, entitled “The Art of Bouncing Back: Resilience, Renewal & Reinvention”, asked me to touch upon my own peaks, troughs and triumphs. I spoke about the highs and the unexpected rapids along the way, peppered with humour and anecdotes. It turned out to be a huge success and I enjoyed dinner with the members after. The questions from members were lively, sometimes even philosophical, and the evening felt more like a drawing-room conversation about life and the surprises it throws at us.
Fortunately, the audience had a healthy sense of humour and seemed to enjoy the stories as much as the lessons hidden within them. The club was an interesting mix of younger and older members, which made for lively interaction and thoughtful questions.
I suspect many members arrived expecting a formal motivational lecture and instead got what I do best — a slightly irreverent conversation about survival, reinvention and the occasional spectacular disaster. Thankfully, nobody asked me for a PowerPoint presentation. That alone guaranteed the evening’s success.
I’ve given many Rotary talks over the years and find the camaraderie and warmth shared by members unique and special, as is the social work they do for the city.
Discovering Some Magic very close to Mumbai
ISKCON Kharghar could well be one of modern India’s most ambitious temple projects. While I was in Japan and unable to attend its official inauguration by Prime Minister Modi in January 2025 , I was fortunate to be a special guest this week. I was genuinely struck by the scale and attention to detail at the tour of the temple and its splrawling grounds.
The architecture, stonework and intricate pietra dura craftsmanship are impressive by any standard.
I particularly enjoyed the engaging Parikrama experience, where dioramas depicting episodes from Lord Krishna’s life bring these stories alive in a kaleidoscopic way. It is immersive without feeling overwhelming. Mumbai sends us elsewhere for novelty and escape, yet remarkable places are sitting right in our own backyard.
What surprised me most, was discovering that behind the grandeur and devotion sits some serious work in healthcare and community support. We view temples as places of worship and solace. Here they also offer practical support.
Through part of the day I learnt more about the remarkable cancer support initiative quietly taking shape within the ISKCON ecosystem. We tend to associate temples with prayer, devotion and spirituality. Increasingly, they are also becoming centres of community care.
The Swastha NavJeevan initiative by Dr Vaishnavanghri Sevak Das — literally meaning “New Life in Health” — recently launched a free Holistic Cancer Healing Retreat that brought together over 200 cancer patients, survivors and caregivers. Rather than focusing only on treatment, the programme looks at the whole person: body, mind and emotional wellbeing. Yoga, nutrition, mindfulness, counselling and spiritual support all form part of the approach.
What I liked was that behind the spiritual setting sit some very serious medical and academic thinking.
The programme is spearheaded by Dr Vaishnavanghri Sevak Das and Dr Purushottam Das aka Pawan Upadhyay, whose research background spans institutions including ACTREC-Tata Memorial Centre and Washington University School of Medicine. Discussions are already underway with leading oncology specialists regarding future clinical studies.
Now before anyone imagines I spent the afternoon discussing medical journals, let me assure you I did not. But I did come away impressed that a temple known for its grandeur is investing equal energy into something practical, compassionate and potentially life-changing for families navigating one of life’s most difficult journeys.
Dr Vaishnavanghri Sevak Das, Dr Pawan Upadhyay (Purushottam Das), Sushil Kumar Banthia and Dr Amogh Gauranga Das detailedly showed me around the ayurvedic alternative Medicne centre before hosting us at the temple’s multicuisine restaurant. Now this is where I definitely feel there is much scope for change. Considering we have always had problems getting along with China, I’m gobsmacked by India’s penchant for Chinese food and when I see it dominating the Krishna Temple restaurant , accompanied by Mac and cheese I’m definitely stumped. Especially when I’ve grown up believing that pujas and temples are associated with mouth watering puri bhaji and suji sheera. Next time - I promised myself - I’ll eat at the temple langar!
I arrived expecting pietra dura, spirituality and perhaps a good vegetarian lunch. I did not expect to spend part of the afternoon meeting an enigmatic leader of the depth and charisma of Dr Vaishnavanghri Sevak Das along with leading oncologist Purushottam Das, scholar Dr Amogh and Sushil Banthia who had organised it all- discussing integrative oncology and cancer support programmes.
The drive across Atal Setu makes the journey remarkably beautiful, and Kharghar suddenly doesn’t feel nearly as far away as it once did. If you haven’t visited yet, it is certainly worth adding to your list. You may arrive for the temple, but leave thinking about much more.
Write to Nisha JamVwal at indiapheonix@gmail.com
