Aishwarya Rai

Aishwarya At Temple

No matter how big a celebrity you are, blessings of the Almighty are always sought before a special occasion and the case of the gorgeous Aishwarya Rai is no different.

With Ash all set to tie the knot with Abhishek Bachchan , the actress’s mother Vrinda Rai has performed a special puja at Nagabana in Sonthady near Kasargod, her birthplace.

The puja was performed Thursday morning by Vrinda in keeping with the traditions of Tulunadu culture is an annual affair, a close relative of Ash said on condition of anonymity in Mangalore on Friday.

All members of the family, except for Ash, took part in the puja to ‘moola nagadevata bana’ at Sonthady, the relative said.

Ash’s father Krishnarajendra Rai arrived in Mangalore from Mumbai Thursday morning and performed puja in the temple of Dharmasthala, he said.

Ash and Abhishek got engaged at a quiet ceremony in Mumbai on January 14. The engagement came about one-and- half-months after the couple, accompanied by mega superstar Amitabh Bachchan and his wife Jaya Bachchan , offered prayers at the Varanasi temple.

All eyes turned to Bangalore when Ash’s family astrologer Chandrashekhara Swami, based in Mulky, was consulted on the alliance as Ash had ‘Kuja dosha’.

Aishwarya Hrithik

Those who still haven’t seen Dhoom 2 and those who want to see the movie again only for the Aishwarya Rai – Hrithik Roshan kiss are in for a disappointment as the scene has been chopped off from the film.

Reports say that the Bachchans asked Yashraj Films to axe the scene that shows their to-be daughter-in-law doing a bold smooch.

However, Dhoom 2 director Sanjay Gadhvi has refused to comment on the issue and maintains that his relations with Yashraj Films haven’t been effected due to the controversy.

The kiss had raised eyebrows and sparked off controversies soon after the movie was released on November 24 last year.

A lawyer had even filed a legal suit against Ash and Hrithik. However, no formal action has been taken against Yashraj Films.

The Bachchans never approved of the Ash-Hrithik kiss and speculation was rife that Abhishek Bachchan had stopped talking to Hrithik after seeing the kissing scene.

Now with the Ash-Abhishek wedding round the corner, it seems the Bachchans are all out to get a clean image of their would-be bahu.

For some reason, i was shocked to see that scene. I am glad it’s over and done.

No more talks about it!

Aishwarya Rai

Way to go Aishwarya!!!!

The gorgeous Aishwarya Rai , who is all set to become the daughter-in-law of the Bachchan household, now has another reason to celebrate.

Ash, who got engaged to her Guru co-star Abhishek Bachchan on Sunday, is among 25 Indians who figure in this year’s list of 250 Global Young Leaders by the Geneva-based World Economic Forum.

Those chosen for the honour also include director Karan Johar, MPs Omar Abdullah, Jyotiraditya Scindia and Naveen Jindal, Managing Editor of NDTV Vikram Chandra, Chief Managing Editor of HT Media Raju Narisetti and Prince Shivraj Singh of Jodhpur.

The Forum selects young leaders from various fields every year based on their professional accomplishments, their commitment to society and their potential to contribute to shaping the future of the world. The selection committee is chaired by Queen Rainaof Jordan.

Also on the list are MP B G Pundlikrao, Chief Financial Officer of ICICI Bank Vishka Mulye, Vice President of Tata Sons Mukand Govind Rajan, Managing Director of Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Satish Reddy, Vice President Infosys Technologies Subhash Dhar and President of the Parks Hotels India Priya Paul.

The Young Global Leaders 2007 include 125 business leaders, as well as leaders from governments, academia, media and society at large from nearly 70 countries.

“This unique global network has the potential to tackle global challenges through knowledge sharing and leveraging horizontal networks of collaborative platforms. Together, they form a powerful international force for the global common good,” said Klaus Schwab, Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum in New York on Tuesday.

Schwab said The Forum of Young Global Leaders will be a voice for the future in global thought processes.

Co-founder of Ortel Communications Jagi Mangat Panda, Executive Director of Godrej Industries Tanya Dubash, Neeraj Bharadwaj of Apax Partners, Managing Director of PVR Cinemas Ajay Bijli, Amit Burman of Dabur India, Amit Chandra of DSP Merrill Lynch and Arvind Kejrival of Parivartan also find their names on the list.

Also included are G V Sanjay Reddy of GVK Industries, Ramesh Ramanathan, founder of Janaagraha, Jignesh Shah of Financial Technologies and Ruchir Sharma of Morgan Stanley Investments.

The new class represents all regions, including nominees from East Asia (50), Europe (50), Middle East and North Africa (25), North America (50), South Asia (30), sub-Saharan Africa (20) and Latin America (25).

The current community of 416 Young Global Leaders represents 90 countries and includes Larry Page and Sergey Brin, co-founders of Google; Mikheil Saakashvili, President of Georgia; Kumi Naidoo, Secretary-General and Chief Executive Officer, Civicus: World Alliance for Citizen Participat ion; Daniela Mercury, Singer, Brazil; and Michelle Guthrie, Chief Executive Officer, Star Group.

Ash Abhi

Now that Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan, two of Bollywood’s brightest stars, have announced their engagement, attention in India is turning to what celestial luminaries have to say about the pending union.

The couple got engaged in a private ceremony on Sunday, and like most traditional Hindus, astrologers were consulted to see if the two were a suitable match before rings were exchanged.

Some astrologers are predicting the most auspicious time for a wedding (anytime before October) between the former Miss World and Bachchan, the son of Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchcan. Others are speculating about how Aishwarya Rai, believed to have been born under an unlucky sign, can thwart her fate and find lasting love (difficult, but not impossible). Oh! That can’t be true!

The couple has not set a date for the wedding, but astrologer Sanjay B. Jumaani was quoted as saying in Tuesday’s edition of the Times of India newspaper that it was auspicious for them to marry before prospective father-in-law Amitabh Bachchan’s birthday in October, but not after Aishwarya Rai’s birthday in November.

Aishwarya Abhishek Wedding

Aishwarya Rai has also participated in a number of religious ceremonies in recent months in a bid to overcome the fact that she is considered an unlucky match for Bachchan. According to Hinduism, Aishwarya is a mangalik, or someone with Mars in her horoscope. “This indicates a propensity towards danger to life, unhappiness at home, divorce or separation, sickness, loss of business or hotheadedness,” celebrated astrologer Jajgit Uppal told the Hindustan Times newspaper.

In November, Rai’s and Bachchan’s families made offerings at a temple in the Hindu holy city of Varanasi, an act reportedly intended to appease Mars.

Two weeks before the engagement, Rai and her mother visited a Hindu temple at another holy town, Pushkar. Temple priest Sri Sompuriji was quoted as saying by the Mumbai Mirror newspaper that Rai was given a prayer chant or “mantra” to repeat to make her dreams come true.

However, Uppal warned these measures might not be enough.

“Couples fulfill these (ceremonies) for peace of mind. But classical astrologers believe you cannot be the arbiter of destiny,” he told the paper, adding that it was better if a mangalik married another.

Huh? Alright Mr. Uppal, let’s see what offering by 1 billion people in India can do. Maybe then you will say that the measures are more than enough. 

We at Aishwarya Web.com would like to wish Aishwarya Rai and Abhishekh Bachchan, all the best and all the success in their married life. God bless you!!!