I nod.
All this is playing out, just as Nalin gets to his 50. The stands erupt, and the cameras are on Navya, who is on her feet and thumping her palms. In the next instant, it shifts to the hospitality area, where Aaditha and I are standing in the centre of the tiled floor laughing. Aaditha’s head dips against my shoulder but straightens immediately.
The caption on the screen reads, ‘Ranibagh royals beside themselves with joy.’
After the camera pans away from us, she picks up her coffee and I pick up my tea. We sip our respective beverages quietly. When we return to our seats, Aaditha asks me why I hadn’t corrected her about my choice of beverage. I shrug.
‘That’s mean,’ she says.
‘I was sure we’d have an opportunity to make a joke of it as we gotto know each other.’
Aaditha rolls her eyes.
After the Rajputana Royals’ innings folds, Kairi moves down the row of seats to chat with us.
‘Is this your first time in Jaipur?’ she asks Aaditha.
Kairi is friendly and sociable. Aaditha is more of an introvert; she prefers to keep to herself. I am unsure where this association is headed, if indeed it is headed anywhere at all.
‘No,’ Aaditha says. She’s smiling, and her shoulders are relaxed. ‘I have been here a couple of times before.’
‘You have to like it,’ Kairi says. ‘You don’t have a choice, you know.’
Aaditha nods.
The three of us are on our feet and chatting when the camera finds us again.
Aaditha is in blue denims and a black dress top; her earlobes are bare because they are sore. She hadn’t told me that, but the soft curve of her ear is a pinched red. If Aaditha had kohled her eyes, it is barely visible. She wears no make-up, if you discount the lip gloss. She looks fresh, though, even if she doesn’t feel fresh.
Kairi is wearing a maroon dress and glitters in the evening light.
We are on the big screen, and there’s a roar from the gallery; fans are waving in our direction. Aaditha flinches. I turn to her and suggest that maybe we should all go inside.
As we follow Kairi back into the enclosure, our eyes meet. Aaditha is so uncomfortable with this attention; she seems to be shrinking into herself.
‘Let’s watch the rest of the match from inside,’ I say.
Aaditha nods. ‘Let’s find a place where the camera cannot reach us.’
TittleTattle
Gupshup Column
Aaditha is lovely, but she needs a stylist ASAP!
Curious so-and-so,
We hope you devoured the visual feast from Ranibagh’s Holika celebrations – our Instagram page practically exploded, and yes, darlings, we flooded your feeds on purpose. At TT, restraint has never been our thing, and why should it be? A good moment demands the spotlight.
Let’s start with Aaditha looking positively dreamlike in a lush, ripe-pink Rajputi Poshak from Jaipur’s House of Sheeba, a designer also favoured by the new generation of royals. Price tag? A breezy INR 2.7 lakhs. HRH Vedveer wore a custom silk sherwani with 24-carat gold baubles for buttons. Because he can!
Together, they were a picture, the poised Prince beside his blushing bride-to-be.
This week, Vedveer took the ceremonial baton from his father for the first time and handled his duties with signature ease. Aaditha played the part well, standing by her man, smiling for the cameras, doing the rounds, dutiful, if slightly rehearsed.
She even turned up at the Rajputana Royals match the following evening – TT gives full marks for consistency. As you know, the Royals have a stake in the team (though they insist on being hands-off), and with the flamboyantdaamaadnow captain mid-season, the ‘no interference’ claimis getting harder to swallow.
But let’s not stray; here comes the real tea.
