And just like that, another year flies by — this one with many people I know heaving a sigh of relief. I must admit, it was a tough year for me too, and it helped to realise I was not alone. So many people faced some of the harshest challenges of their lives in 2025. Anyway folks — it’s done. Let’s turn our gaze to 2026 with the manifestation of all things good and magical.
And for those writing in about my life appearing like a flying carpet of joys, parties, ribbon cuttings and flights to exotic locales — let me add that this flying carpet comes with its fair share of bumps and knocks. Too many of them this year, more than I care to revisit, and certainly not in this column. Would I bore the living daylight out of you with all that dirge?
I’m here to regale you with Mumbai magic — Nisha JamVwal style — the same girl who did cameos as herself in Madhur Bhandarkar’s Page 3 and Fashion. So let’s stick to that side of life, shall we? Just never assume that this is all there is. Life is made of troughs amidst the surfing waves. The moral of the story? Ride the waves with joie de vivre, but take the troughs as teachers — and up your game. I’m trying to, anyway.
The Quiet Exultation of Home Gatherings
There is something magical — and flavoursome — about home parties. Vibhuti Desai and Anju Chawla both aced their (separate) evenings with one common asset: restraint in numbers. When the guest list is smaller, friends actually have elbow room — metaphorically speaking, to connect and converse.
I enjoyed conversations that were thoughtful, amusing, and occasionally entertaining in unintended ways — including boastful NRIs trying valiantly to impress their “natives” with tales of triumph with white Saabs. Uff! When will we stop being colonial leftovers and learn to enjoy our own achievements without seeking validation from the West?
Tea, Talk and the Luxury of Listening
A celebratory tea with one’s mother and a special friend Dr Meenakshi at Sea Lounge, after a raucous year of working hard and playing hard, feels like the perfect way to wind down 2025 and gently step into 2026. Conversation, chilli cheese toast and dahi puri, complemented by their iconic Venoisse frozen coffee — paradise enow!
Escaping the Noise — A New Year in Alibaug
Which brings me to New Year’s Eve — a subject many of you have been messaging me about. So here it is. I ran away from the cacophony to usher in what I hope will be a happier, more magical year than the last.
Alibaug beckoned, with very special friends, for a house party anchored in intimate conversations and exquisite sit-down feasts — my preferred way of celebrating after the rush and tumble we so enjoy through the year. At the newly built palatial home of Aditi and Ameet Parekh, we counted down to the new year over wines, cheeses, strawberries, cream, plum puddings and many indulgent treats with the backdrop of Vivaldi and Strauss. We sang, danced, hugged, kissed, and wished each other many more such moments — together, always.
My beloved mentioned how special it was without banging music hitting our eardrums and that set me thinking! In a city where parties routinely cross 110 decibels, I wonder whether Mumbaikars realise the harm such noise causes — even permanent hearing loss within minutes. One also wonders why we attend parties where conversation and connection are impossible. Food for thought, quite literally?
And then the most divine beginning to this year was an ethereal pooja at the seaside with friends like family. To connect with the superpowers in the heavens make for a comforting safe place that we covet and yearn. You can see that I’m trying to make my life less about rapids and trying to approach the Gods for divine intervention ?
Rethinking perfection
Even as I sat as judge and special guest on the panel of the Perfect Miss India pageant by Khooshi Thakkar, I found myself reflecting on the title itself. My conclusion is that perfection is born from imperfection.
When the awards unfolded, I went up on stage and shared this with the contestants — win or lose the medal, they had already won by showing up. And that, perhaps, is the most perfect truth of all.
