Theatre, Girl Power and Pearl Padamsee’s Legacy
My Women’s Day began not at a panel discussion or lunch but in a theatre for kids - a far more fun place to be. I was invited as enthusiastic cheerleader Chief Guest at a spirited production staged by the Raell Padamsee-led Create Foundation and Udaan India Foundation. Ace Product , a group that continues the theatrical legacy and philanthropy of the sparkling Pearl Padamsee, alongside Udaan and Create - teach theatre communications and elocution to kids from municipal schools and other marginalised children! And I was excited to see their woman’s day extravaganza.
The Padamsee name, of course, occupies a special place in Indian theatre history. Pearl Padamsee and Alec Padamsee shaped generations of stage actors and audiences through their productions and training in Mumbai. Many of India’s finest actors first discovered the stage through workshops connected to their theatre movement. I wish Alec had lived long enough to produce Carmen the gypsy - he was convinced I’d be a great actor in his play! Then I could have boasted of being trained by him too. Infact I was trained by the Trinity college for elocution and drama and theatre is a great love of mine.
This production was a delightful interpretation of Aladdin — with a feminist twist: the Genie was played by a girl. That small theatrical choice captured the spirit of the morning of Women’s Day more eloquently than many speeches - Rael did not give a speech- she spoke through the productions staged on this woman’s day outpouring ! Timing, projection, stage presence — all present and accounted for.
Theatre, particularly when introduced early in life, does something quite remarkable for young performers. It definitely did for me! It builds voice, confidence and panache, while also allowing imagination to roam freely — a combination that is rarely available in conventional schooling.
I momentarily abandoned my seat to join them on stage. That is the draw of theatre — along with my early life performing Hiawatha, Peter Pan and Shakespeare- it pulls you in. Especially when led by close friend, dynamic theatre director and producer Raell Padamsee.
The young performers bowed to an enthusiastic audience. Theatre continues to remain one of Mumbai’s most vibrant cultural traditions — shaping articulation, self assurance and creativity in children who might otherwise never step onto a stage.
An Imperial Iftar and Mumbai’s Plural Soul
And as you can see, Women’s Day has become more of a Women’s Month.
The Imperial Iftar hosted by philanthropist Dr Amjad Khan Pathan celebrated women from all walks of life with the backdrop of an extravagant Iftar banquet. A lot of awards are rackets to get sponsorship money and publicity- but some are a genuine reaffirmation of woman power and a celebration of woman of substance.
Dr Amjad Khan Pathans Ramzan gatherings have become a meeting point for consular corps, doctors and also women achiever’s across professions and communities. And Ramzan evenings in Mumbai have their own atmosphere of joie de vivre. People of every faith had gathered over dates, fruits, banquet and conversation — the camaraderie unmistakable.
The city’s long tradition of shared festivals often becomes visible during Ramzan evenings. From Mohammed Ali Road’s famous food lanes to intimate Iftar tables across homes and hotels, the month carries quite an energy that binds communities in conversation and hospitality.
In a world that currently seems determined to test humanity’s patience — with tensions brewing across the Strait of Hormuz — Iftar dinners have brought communities together with bonhomie and goodwill here in Mumbai.
I was touched by Amjad's warm felicitation of me with a silk shawl and memento on stage, as he invited select female luminaries and enumerated our achievements.
Old friends, new acquaintances, and that sense of shared humanity which cosmopolitan Mumbai manages to produce typified the terrace of St Regis . Conversations drifted easily from philanthropy to public life, social initiatives to family anecdotes — the sort of easy exchange that large Indian gatherings specialise in.
Ramzan Kareem to all celebrating the blessed season.
Rahul Akerkar’s New Culinary Chapter: Flint
Just when you think the restaurant carousel has slowed, along comes a new entrant by one of my favourite maestro chefs — Rahul Akerkar and his Flint.
Rahul, who once defined an era of South Bombay dining with the iconic Indigo, has returned with a new masterpiece: Flint. I have missed his culinary batan and I hope this one is here to stay!
For years, Indigo at Colaba was considered one of Mumbai’s pioneering fine dining establishments. Its Sunday brunches were legendary — part culinary indulgence, part social theatre — drawing artists, industrialists, journalists and the city’s regular brunch circuit. So I was overjoyed as I’ve missed Indigo every single day since it shut down.
The opening brunch had that familiar feel and fragrance of an Indigo afternoon — when brunch began at noon and stretched into late evening.
As I left at six pm, the place was still buzzing with the city’s restaurant regulars and haute celebs in distressed jeans and white linens.
I was of course in my signature bright pinks and reds — never a conformist!
The menu, from what I sampled, carries Akerkar’s familiar confidence — globally inspired yet firmly rooted in ingredient-driven cooking.
Good food in a chic setting is a magnet to the cool set, and Flint had anyone who was anyone celebrating this comeback of sorts.
If early enthusiasm is any indicator, Flint may well become one of those Mumbai dining rooms where lunches effortlessly turn into dinners and conversations stretch into long evenings in the courtyard which is part of this new Mumbai hotspot!
A Birthday, A Baby, and Sanju Baba
The rooftop Rendezvous celebration hosted by lawyer activist Abha Singh at the Taj — marking the birthday of her grandson Arit — buzzed with joyous energy.
Proud parents Aditya and Shivika wanted Arit there through the evening, though the young star of the night seemed rather unimpressed by the festivities. Being kept awake beyond bedtime was clearly not his idea of fun.
Entertainment arrived from an unexpected quarter when Arit’s bua, Isha Singh of the IPS, took over the microphone and delivered an energetic series of songs.
With her dramatic hair, bling jacket and kohl eyes, she could have passed for a pop star rather than the hot shot top cop she is set to be. My music debut award goes to her!
The gathering itself had the relaxed feel of an extended family celebration rather than a formal party — laughter, music and a great deal of affectionate teasing filling the evening air.
The evening’s showstopper was undoubtedly Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt. For us Mumbai walas he will always be Sanju Baba — however old he may get — a familiarity the city reserves only for its longest-standing stars. And for me personally, my husband’s Lawrence School Sanawar senior who echoes their slogan “Never Give In” whenever they meet.
Watching the extended Singh family celebrating — many of them serving the country in uniform, law or public life — I’ve seen that they are refreshingly unchanged by the public roles they occupy.
In a city that often confuses status with personality, that kind of warmth stands out.
Any evening with Abby Baby — aka Abha Singh advocate and activist to the rest — is imbued with genuine energy and warmth rather than ceremony. And where Abhq Singh is there are bound to be many selfies !
That’s what makes for real friendships — when a room lights up for someone simply because their friends have gathered.
As does mine when I see her.
