Vanita Anand's Indian Bling

VANITA ANAND JEWELLERY LUNCH AND INDIAN BLING

Indian couple Vanita and Anand Nagpal from Chennai now residing in Kuala Lumpur hosted lunch on 17 March 2011 at Mandarin Oriental to introduce Indian jewellers Namrata and Rohit Sehgal to KL high society who came in droves for free food (does that sound terrible?) and the chance to look like a Maharani.

One of the jolliest, friendliest and most hospitable couples percolating in Malaysian high society must be the ever charming Vanita Anand and her husband Anand Nagpal. They hail from Chennai, India and after opting for semi-retirement, traversed the world to find a new place to set up home.

Wife and husband hosts Vanita and Anand Nagpal with guest Puan Sri Aziah

Jewellers from New Delhi; Namrata Sehgal and Rohit Sehgal, owners of RLKL Jewellers

Happy guests; Puan Sri Tessie and Princess Dr Becky Leogardo with her new customised Hermes Birkin black and red bag.

Datin Rahmah, sieter-in-law of Tun Abdullah Badawi and Datin Seri Zurina

VIP guests

Princess Dr Becky Leogardo, friend and Datin Maylene Yong

Winsome twosome

Happy guests

"We decided to call Malaysia home as we fell in love with this country at first visit! So we enrolled in ‘Malaysia My Second Home’ programme in 2007 and settled in Tropicana,” explains the bubbly and glamorous Vanita Anand. “Malaysia offers the best of west and east and we feel so welcome here. The people are friendly and the dazzling variety of food is world class and I had to abandon my diet since moving here! We are developers in India and are currently using a Malaysian architect David Hashim from Veritas Group for our latest project.”

Vanita is an Indian classical dance exponent and excels in five main forms including Bharat Natyam, Kuchipudi, Kathak, Manipuri and Satriya. Together with her mother Padma Shri (which is a honorific title) Pushpa Bhuyan and her two sisters, she has performed all over the world with their troupe Pushpanjali. They received so many accolades the Indian Government used them in its Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) programme and even sent them to promote India’s culture during India’s 50^th independence in 1997.

With her vast repertoire, Vanita has danced in some 500 shows from childhood to adult life. Now 43, Vanita does not dance actively on stage but has embarked on the next level by teaching dance. “I volunteer as dance teacher to enthusiastic students from Rumah Saying Orphanage in Petaling Jaya and teach twice a week. This way, the new generation gets to learn the beauty of Indian classical dances.” beams Vanita. “Charity comes in many forms. The easiest way is to write a cheque but to me, giving your personal time is more important. We believe in contributing time and effort to causes we believe in, like educating underprivileged children.”

When she arrived, many commented on her lavish jewellery and likened her to a Maharani as she glittered beautifully. “Friends always ask where I got my jewels as they admire the fine workmanship as India has a long history of jewellery creation. Indeed the Maharajahs, Nawabs and Nizams outshone their wives in the spectacular amount of jewellery worn!”

At the behest of friends, she decided to invite her favourite jeweller from New Delhi, husband and wife team Namrata and Rohit Sehgal of RLKL Jewellers to hold an exhibition in Kuala Lumpur at Mandarin Oriental. “RLKL has been fine jewellers and diamond merchants since 1947, the year India got independence and are now in their second generation,” says Vanita. Around a hundred ladies attended her luncheon and were suitably impressed by RLKL Mughal inspired and elaborate diamond, ruby, emerald, sapphire and jade jewels fit for a modern day maharani.