One of the things that struck us about the passing of Congress leader Sheila Dixit over the weekend, was how bipartisan and heartfelt the mourning was. Not only did politicians from across the board and political spectrum, led by PM Modi, pay rich tributes to her, but for a change, even TV channels which generally appear so polarised that they come across as caricatures of themselves, found common ground in their praise of one of the tallest political leaders India has seen in recent times.
Of course, the irony is that for all the adulation and respect that she commanded, the diminutive Dixit was neither tall, nor political in the sense the word has come to imply, and in fact, regarded herself more of a party foot soldier than a leader at all! Which, perhaps, accounts for the universal regard and love she was held in. Over and over again, people from vastly differing ideologies and spectrums spoke of her decency, her warmth and kindness. We too have had the privilege of experiencing first-hand her special qualities. A few decades ago, when she was CM of Delhi, we’d had the opportunity to meet her at a formal function in Mumbai. Having left the Capital a long time ago, we scarcely expected Dixit to remember us, let alone single us out for kind attention. Not only did she do that, but her warmth turned out to be genuine. She urged us to keep in touch and call on her if we ever visited Capital, making sure to share her contact details and those of her assistants with us. Her insistence had resulted in a pleasant and unhurried breakfast meeting with her at her official residence, where we’d spoken about this and that. It is not hard to see why her passing has brought forth a flood of genuine grief and loss. After all politicians, especially those who have achieved the calibre of success that Dixit did are not known to be great human beings. But Sheilaji was one and the outpouring from even those she opposed or challenged or who had riled against her party, is because of her innate decency. Grace begets grace they say; never has this axiom been better demonstrated more than in the passing of dear Sheila Dixit, when our politicians put aside their rancour and venom and rose to the occasion to bid her farewell.

True Lies
It is said of Bollywood that it’s not so much ‘who’s who’, but ‘who’s whose’. And that’s because from the outside, it often resembles an incestuous gold fish bow, one in which everyone appears to have dated everyone else. What people seldom realise is that given the stars’ hectic schedules, 24x7 media scrutiny and constant pressure to look good, it is often difficult for them to date those outside the industry (aka common folks). This seems particularly true of this svelte actress who is said to be stirring things up ever since the success of her debut film. “She ended her long-standing relationship with another upcoming actor, just on the brink of her debut movie’s release, and he is reported to have taken it so badly that he was known to weep on his sets during a shoot,” informs a Bolly insider, adding, “Given her good looks and success, the male attention was to be expected,” he said, “but we were all surprised when in the short span since her debut, she has dated not one, or two, but three Bollywood actors in quick succession.” And who were the lucky three men? Well, according to our source, one is an established star who himself had been dumped quite publicly by his girlfriend, an A-list Bolly actress, while the other two are relatively smaller stars, one, the son of a famous actor, and the other, the brother of another famous actor.
That’s some resume for a newcomer.

Tweet Talk
“Watching the BJP MPs vote en masse in the Lok sabha against even sensible, non-political & constructive amendments proposed by us, I realise why BJP can never help farmers: they have no “agree” culture.”
- Congress MP Shashi Tharoor’s attempt at a pun yesterday

Shining Bright

(From right) Raj and Isheta Salgaocar with friends.

“Basically, I love tigers. Their eyes are so magical and photography is my passion too,” said Kalpana Shah, founder of Tao Art Gallery, about her ambitious, upcoming group show ‘Tiger’, that will see 80 of the country’s leading painters and sculptors display masks inspired by the animal, along with photographs by impassioned wildlife photographers, industrialist Raj Salgaocar, his daughter, the media maven Isheta Salgaocar and businesswoman Urvi Piramal. What makes this a big ticket Mumbai event is that the exhibition also features paintings by artist Sushma Jain, wife of businessman Anand Jain, whose artistic debut last year with a series of mammoth life-like portraits of animals had created a stir. “I believe in the phrase live and let live,” said Shah, who has curated the exhibition along with noted Hyderabad-based painter. “Enjoying each creation of God. For me, the real heroes are not the men who hunt, but the ones who appreciate and save wild life.”

Sushma and Anand Jain with one of her canvasses.

The exhibition will open this week with a special preview which is expected to see some of the city’s top names in attendance. “Many of the people involved in the show are my friends who happen to be wildlife photographers. Sushma is a passionate painter of wildlife and I was impressed by her solo show last year. And to make the show interesting and help spread awareness about championing the Tiger, there are creatively-made tiger masks,” said Shah, adding, “I still cannot forget the Tigers I saw on my recent trip to Ranthambore.”

First Published: Jul 22, 2019 01:05 IST