Celebrating medical excellence
Every week possesses its own distinct kundli, and this week was dominated by birthday celebrations. Renowned neurosurgeon Dr. Keki Turel hosted dual celebrations commemorating his 80th year around the sun and 50 years practicing as India's leading neurosurgeon par excellence.
His infectious excitement at his own milestone celebration was contagious, inspiring the entire distinguished guest list of senior doctors of India and surgeons to groove enthusiastically to nostalgic Bollywood hits from the 1980s. Being part of a rambunctious celebration of esteemed medical professionals letting their hair down and celebrating life with such uninhibited joy was heartwarming.
Art of Ancestral Hospitality
Aakif Habib's birthday celebration radiated the warmest possible ambiance, gathering our bonded group that convenes unfailingly at his legendary Eid parties and every birthday milestone. Last year, he had so graciously celebrated my birthday at this ancestral home—one of the few heritage bungalows remaining on Mount Mary Road, a testament to Mumbai's vanishing architectural legacy, alas!
The enormous dining table and its artistically displayed cuisine form the evening's cynosure, as guests and I make quite the ritual of savoring each course. It's consistently reminiscent of an elaborate Iftaar feast, with the evening's crescendo being the delicious array of multi-hued flavors and cuisines. However, for me, the evening's highlight is the enveloping warmth and convivial atmosphere created by all the guests, but most especially by Aakif and Iram, whose old-world hospitality is unparalleled in our increasingly fast-paced social media landscape.
Heartwarming birthday soiree
And just like that, a year has passed since I last chronicled Zarine Khan's birthday celebrations, when actors Rekha and Hema Malini illuminated the festivities with their sparkle! This year's soirée unfolded in a private party room, where all friends added to a memorable afternoon, especially with the praise and poems they showered in her adulation and hero worship.
But then, Zarine is deserving of such devotion as she has sustained this cherished circle of friends—not through the monetary exchanges of gauche 'kitty parties' or the artificial bonds of preformatted WhatsApp groups, but through her cementing l familial inclusion. Some friends even broke into specially choreographed Bollywood dance performances created purely for her viewing pleasure, wooing her! Though for me the sculptural floral cake emerged as the afternoon's apt centerpiece. It reminded me so vividly of Zarine herself—her signature floral georgettes wafting fragrantly through any room she graces with her presence.
A tiny gesture cements a memory of an event into a cherished knot, and it was when astrologer philanthropist Alka Chaturvedi pampered me so warmly- and walked across the room to ensure I was eating well as she affectionately brought me green sabzi and dal.
Ladies who lunch and dance
Not to be outdone was the inveterate group of ladies who lunch and dine, dress and chat up a storm with religious dedication. They captured countless selfies and danced up a storm over tea, coffee and each other's company, with two back-to-back celebrations that epitomized joie de vivre.
Simaa Godhwani's festivities early in the week at Gigi and Nilima Guptas celebrations at Rye had all the ladies dressed to the nines, followed by Seema Mehra's birthday later that featured the same spirited band of girls who lunched, danced, celebrated, ate, sang and cut cakes with remarkable gusto at all three do’s .
The music was rambunctious Bollywood numbers and all the lovely girls took to the floor dancing up a storm. Flouncy dresses and designer bags were bouncing with joie de vivre, creating an atmosphere of unadulterated celebration, and Gigi, Rye and later Bombay Gym rocked at these three high teas!
Seema Singh’s sit down lunch to celebrate couturier Dimple Luniya’s birthday at Sahib Room was about conversations and exquisite cuisine imbued with Seema’s special hospitality!
Culinary heritage revisited
My week's finale was on an elevated note when master restaurateur with a heart of gold Prashant Issar hosted a triumphant pop-up that will continue throughout the week at Ishaara, Phoenix Palladium. Chef Sherry, looking lovely in her professional chef togs, moved around the venue alongside gracious host Suprio Bose, eloquently narrating the story behind this remarkable culinary celebration.
Their 'Undivided Punjab' pop-up represents far more than mere dining—it's a profound exploration of Northwest frontier cuisine where Prashant Issar and Chef Sherry Mehta have courageously revisited their ancestral roots to resurrect recipes that time had nearly forgotten. They are meticulously retracing the authentic culinary heritage of Punjab before partition, offering Mumbai a rare opportunity to experience flavors that existed in an undivided landscape.
My mother's lineage is from the North West Frontier province - her grandfather came from Lahore and her grandmother from Rawalpindi—so she and I felt an instant connection with the cuisine where our culinary lineage shone through in every bite. I've reveled at her table all my childhood with such Mughlai fragrances wafting through our halls. And at Ishaara that night the Zamindoz ke Kebab—Mutton Chapli Kebabs—juicy and with bold flavor; Charsi Tikka—Mutton chaap cooked in its own juices, quite decadently took me back to my childhood! Saag Burrata; Safed Gajar ka Halwa with Jamun were new to my palate—since I've only ever had orange Gajar ka halwa. Everything felt authentic, and that's what made it special, with my mother reminiscing alongside our feast when she regaled us with stories of her dada getting the "murga" slaughtered in the backyard for their grand Sunday lunches. She spoke of how the steamed basmati rice and the handi with mutton curry floating in three inches of spiced red ghee at her ancestral Kothi has never met its match since. When one thinks of their menu, one wonders if vegetables were even grown back then?!
If you're in Mumbai, go on this journey through time and culture at Ishaara with phulkari kites hanging atop, gaily adding to the Punjabi flavors.
This extraordinary culinary festival serves as both gastronomic adventure and historical education, with Prashant Issar and Suprio Bose speaking of the history of pre-partition India—reminding us that food carries within it the soul of our collective memory, transcending political boundaries to unite us through shared flavors and forgotten stories.
Never-ending birthday
This year my birthday celebrations are indeed never-ending. You can imagine my surprise when great revelry and rejoicing unfurled as my Godmother Bilkis Merchant took over the rooftop private dining of Souk at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel to celebrate my May 2nd birthday in July. I was genuinely gobsmacked when the cake came out and a charming gathering of my friends sang Happy Birthday to me with such gusto. This was indeed the high-point amidst the magical notes this week presented.
Mumbai never misses a beat, does it—despite the ongoing monsoon, the celebrations and good times roll! That’s MY Mumbai for you!
Write to Nisha JamVwal at nishjamwal@gmail.com
