An Unforgettable Book Launch
Ambassador Surendra Kumar’s latest book, “The Unforgettable Divas of Bollywood” was launched in a packed hall at the India International Centre in Delhi. On the dais were Pavan Varma, Shashi Tharoor and Jaya Bachchan, and Ambassador M.K. Rasgotra in the audience. In fact when she took the mike, Jaya Bachchan quipped that perhaps Hema Malini (whose picture graced the back cover of the book) would have been better suited for the event, for she felt out of place amongst all the diplomats. A pretty wry observation; and clearly she is all too aware of her own reputation of speaking bluntly. It was a banter filled evening with Pavan Varma having a dig at fellow panellist Shashi Tharoor, who arrived with a sheaf of papers, with a comment that “Shashi, you could have written the book yourself.” Those who know Surendra Kumar well will know it’s difficult to say no to him, which accounts for the stellar panel on the dais as well as the crowd in the auditorium.
First Session, First Show
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s electoral debut may have been delayed, but her first session made up for the lost time. Clearly, she knows well how to manage the headlines, from her maiden speech which was on the Constitution, to the accessories she carried with her. Once her Palestine bag got the eyeballs, she realised the power of subliminal statements and repeated it with a Support Bangladesh bag. In fact when the BJP accused her of appeasement politics she shot back and accused the saffron party of a feudal mindset telling women what to wear and what not. Of course the BJP did not lose a chance to score a point of their own with its MP Aparajita Sarangi presenting Priyanka with a bag featuring the 1984 riots.
Later when the Ambedkar controversy broke, Priyanka made sure to wear a blue sari. Her long overcoat and sari look reminded many of her grandmother’s attire, as did her fiery speeches. And unlike her brother, Priyanka went out of her way to reach out to the media with a quotable quote. Such as her comment on the Prime Minister’s speech reminding her of a double maths period. This is one political career that would be interesting to track.
Brand Ambassador
Salman Khan
The Kho Kho Federation of India is all set to host the first ever World Kho Kho Cup in January next year. As many as 24 countries will be participating, including the US, UK, UAE and Australia with the most anticipated match being the one between India and Pakistan. Sudhanshu Mittal, the president of the Federation has managed to rope in Salman Khan as the brand ambassador, with the very catchy tagline: “The World Goes Kho”. In fact the federation is hoping that India will adopt kho kho as the national game, since Pakistan has hockey and kabaddi is with Bangladesh. Not too long ago Prime Minister Modi himself made a mention of the game in one of his Mann Ki Baat broadcasts, ruing the fact that due to lifestyle changes a traditional game was lost to us. Well, clearly the Kho Kho Federation is doing its best to ensure that the said traditional game makes a grand comeback, so more power to them.