It has been an educational week past.
I now know that Mukesh Ambani is India’s richest person.
I am kidding. I already knew that.
I now know that he has a son by the name Akash. Actually, I might have known that also.
So how was it educational? What DID I learn?
I learnt that Akash got engaged to Shloka Mehta on 28th June and a grand party was thrown by the Ambanis on the 30th to celebrate the event.
I learnt that Shloka has known the Ambani family since she was two years old.
I now know Shahrukh Khan was the host for the evening and that he and his son Aryan had a father-son moment at the bash. I learnt that they, Shahrukh and Aryan, even shared a light moment with Gauri Khan, Shahrukh’s wife and Aryan’s mother.
I learnt that Sachin Tendullkar has a daughter whose name is Sara. I learnt that Sara looked resplendent at the bash.
I learnt that Amitabh Bachchan’s maternal grand-daughter is called Navya. I also learnt that Navya stole the show at the event in her sari.
I also learnt that Abhishek, Aishwarya and Aradhya looked like a happy family.
I learnt that Karen Tran is a luxury floral decorator from California. I learnt that Karen Tran decorated the venue.
I learnt Argentina grows flowers. I learnt some Rs. 25 crores (about USD 4 million) worth of them were flown in from Argentina to decorate the venue. I learnt that it is possible to put Rs. 25 crores worth of flowers in one single house in one single night.
I learnt there is a bakery called Laduree in Paris. I learnt that Laduree is famous for its macarons, a sweet meringue-based confection that is made with egg white and icing sugar, among other ingredients. I learnt Laduree whipped up some delicious desserts for all at the bash.
I learnt that decorations at the venue included transparent umbrellas with wax chocolates hanging from them.
Phew!
These learnings were flying at me from many directions, like TV news channels, like newspapers, like workplace gossip, like the Internet, like WhatsApp forwarded messages between other forwarded messages asking people to refrain from wasteful consumption and mind their own business.
And I was hungrily lapping it up.
Because it matters.
Because now I can speak more than others about the ceremony that I think everyone else is talking about.
Because now I can authoritatively confirm or debunk the trash that people are bound to circulate about the event.
Because I can now send more WhatsApp forwards, in between messages to avoid wasteful consumption and minding our own business.
If so much can be learnt during the engagement, the sky will be the limit when the wedding comes around. I am hungry for knowledge. I am already counting the days to it even though I don’t know the date.
Now that I know it, I wish Akash and Shloka a happy married life.
After all, it’s all about us, baby!
A most astonishing journey of the educational endeavours in a major event in India with your gentle touch of irony and sarcasm, Ankur!
Very kind of you Peter. Thank you!
With a few name changes, this applies to oh so much of social media. And TV. And chatter… Hmm… lots of stuff.
So true Jacqui. However, in my view, eventually, as the last line of the post also says, “It’s all about us, baby!” 🙂
Thank you Ankur for the complete tour of the bash. All good except that Best Bakers in Thevara, Kochi makes better macarons
Even WordPress took umbrage to your suggestion that Best Bakers does better macarons than Laduree, and threw your comment in the Spam folder. The wedding is yet to come. Best Bakers could get their day in the Ambani sun. Remind me to whisper to Mukesh-bhai!
Haahaha, I like it
😉 _/\_
Oh my goodness me. They could probably buy Australia so that they had a summer resort and we could all become their servants.
Don’t count your chicken before they hatch. The wedding is still to come. I believe in December. Peak of Australian summer.
The www ( way-with-words) is unbeatable. Keep it coming… from all directions … and all walks… waiting to lap it up ….
You are too kind sir. _/\_
I wish I had that kind of money for one single bash. I would have bought sleeping bags or small instant opening tents for all the kids sleeping on sidewalks, train stations, pavements back home..The hosts could also twist the arms of the visiting gentry to share their mountain of wealth a wee bit more…Edward Dawes
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Thank you Edward for your comment. I am sure many would do the same as you. No reason to believe these guys do not do their bit for charitable causes. It is probably just a matter of scale. Their conspicuous consumption is louder than ours. Their charitable contributions might also be. Our “free market” world, unfortunately, depends on conspicuous consumption for its wheels to turn. And the best use of money for most people seems to be to beget more. ;-(
Thanks . I hope they do care . In Delhi the cars have become thicker and fatter while kids dancing or selling at some red lights have become even smaller. Once i gave a “young mother” 500 Rs at CP .. She was so apathetic she did not react at all…Another time, also in CP, saw a youngster sitting on a stone bench staring at our huge great big flag. He looked poor. Placing a 500 note in his palm did not get any effect at all. Some of them are so gone…and then you have these fat cars zipping by.. And you know what the occupants of these cars say- dont roll the window down. Dont look at them ..However , I do admire others who have a diplomatic approach to issues rather than being direct, That is where I fail and you win. kind regards Edward
I guess we need to do what we need to do and hope we can make just that much of a difference. The increasing disparity between rich and poor is a real concern. Successive governments seem happy at this turn of events because it gives them more constituencies to whom doles can be given to buy votes.
Correction “Once i gave a “young mother” looking mother ” please delete “looking mother”
Done.
Great. Now I know all of that, too.
Tell me where to send your University passing degree.
It seems the world thrives on trivia.
Trivia, the whole trivia, and nothing but trivia…
Pssst! Ambhani – why not buy China and Pakistan and save India billions in defence spending.
And what happens to the Business Plan of making the next 40 billion from the Munitions business?
Oh dearie me. And that will put hundreds of thousands of people out of work too. Okay, don’t buy Pakistan and China.
We must stick to the tried and tested business plan.
Your heart is in the right place Eric. If we don’t look out for the tycoons, who will? 🙂