Fashionscandal.com posted on 23rd May 2012 ‘The Demise of PAGE 3″. Thousands agreed with the post and those who polluted it grumbled and threatened me. On 15th July the widely read Sunday Magazine of Hindustan Times – BRUNCH had a Cover Story – “Who Killed Page 3?” It is a well written and an exhaustive piece and also has a quote from your humble blogger! Here is the link to the Brunch story:
It’s not just me but thousands who feel that ‘Page 3′ – the party & gossip section of tabloids is dead. The real achievers who work hard and party hard are shying away from Page 3. Nowadays all you get to see on the once coveted Page 3 are wannabes, PR driven activities and shameless plugs.
One can understand the deterioration of Page 3 of the National Daily that embarked upon the infamous idea of paid editorials – Medianet. Anybody and everybody who is willing to pay for his/her party to be covered is featured. One doesn’t expect real Page 3 stuff from this newspaper. But what shocks me is the appalling degradation of stuff featured by other top newspapers that aren’t bound by a concept like Medianet on their Page 3. In fact Page 3 has become a jamboree of absolute losers, wannabes and random people. High time the Editors take a look and stop the rot.
Come on who the hell are Mamta and Manu Rawal? The newspaper claims they are designers and splash a party hosted by them. Lately they have become Page 3 regulars. Who is Salloli Kumar? Last I knew that she and her hubby were notorious gatecrashers. Housewives turned event organisors, yesteryear models turned pimps or whatever, random DJs, model co-ordinators, builders who look like goons and automobile dealers now peep out of Page 3 day after day. It is such a horrendous site!
It is not that the real socialites or savvy and fashionable people aren’t partying. They just don’t want to be on Page 3 amongst pimps, gatecrashers, self-proclaimed fashion designers and dolly aunties, clamouring for space. My sincere appeal to the Editors to stop this rot and get the grace back on what Page 3 was originally conceived with. If they can’t then all newspapers should follow the Medianet route and earn huge revenues.
I often wonder why the wives of business tycoons take to candle-making as their choicest venture? Can anybody throw light on it please because I pondered and pondered and couldn’t find a rational behind it? Somebody told me it’s very therapeutic. Another smart Alec told me that it’s an alibi to dodge being called just a Homemaker or a Socialite. Yes that can be true because these ladies hate to be labeled as a Housewife or a Socialite. “I am into designing candles”, sounds respectable
Take the case of Amit Burman and Rajan Mittal’s wives, Divya Burman and Vernaz Mittal. They have candle designing company – Wax Works and they make some really expensive candles. I doubt if they even go to their factory or if they even have one. They might be outsourcing and simply using their rich contacts to sell the overpriced candles. Sabaah Sheikh too is designing ‘bespoke’ candles but I wouldn’t like to slot her into and ‘Rich and Bored Housewives’ category because she’s rather enterprising. Sabaah and Aniljit jointly run the Emperor’s Kitchen with 2 more partners.
If I remember right, Dimple Kapadia was the first celebrity to get into designing candles. After that many rich & bored housewives have taken to candle designing with a vengeance. Divya Burman in fact tried her hand in fashion designing to and launched kids range some years back. Never heard of it after the launch.
In Mumbai it is home furnishing and interior designing that is the ‘IT” venture for ‘Rich and Bored’ Housewives. Oh yeah even jewellery designing is in that league. Suzanne Roshan has taken to Interiors and Home Furnishing and calls it House of Design. She launched it in 2005 but now she is launching another store at Juhu that will stock her designer furniture and furnishings. I think Twinkle Khanna inspired her.