Dagger Drawn

Getting off the flight at eight p.m. and going on to a social event is a No! No! in my book normally, as even a flight under two hours has me jet-lagged. The comfort of home and hearth is too welcoming a prospect to bypass after a week in a hotel. Saturday night was an exception to this rule. Sonia Garware an eligible bachelorette in the city was celebrating her birthday at the Taj. Having been educated in the USA and being familiar with the in8217; spots in New York, Sonia had chosen the unusual theme of Le Cirque 20008242; after the famous New York restaurant. I must admit a partiality to this restaurant, as it was a favourite of my late husband Rajan. During our courtship we usedto dine regularly at Le Cirque. Last year, on a trip to New York, I dined at the newly renovated Le Cirque 2000, courtesy Marie-Fe-Hernandez, the chic publicist and PR manager to Vice President Al Gore8217;s Presidential bid, come the millennium. What impressed me most about the legendary restaurant in it8217;s renovated avatar8217; was that every table has the same high visibility, must-be-seen angle to it, so the room8217;s are buzzing with laughter and noise fuelled by a healthy curiosity to what everyone else is eating, wearing and saying. The food has always been superlative but it is the ambience that gives Le Cirque 2000 a unique New York attitude. To re-create all of this in Bombay seemed ambitious, to say the least, but from the invitation to the actual party itself, Sonia outdid herself. There was a little South Indian touch, which I8217;m sure Le Cirque would indeed love to adopt, if introduced 8212; appam and stew for breakfast. Except for which, it was a totally New York attitude, food, decor, the works. Allthe high visibility, must be seen and ogled at, lookers in the city were there a plenty. So the social buzz was at a crescendo when I arrived. It seemed like all the post college, pre-life set in their Saturday best were there with a vengeance. Rahul Bose, Jackie Shroff and Shahbaaz were the we three Kings of filmdom are8217;, who greeted me virtually at the door. Rahul excitedly recounted that he was going to London next month to act in a play and that come September his new film was scheduled to release. When I met Rahul last year for dinner with Sanjeev Choudhary, our dapper Canadian Vice Counsel and a close friend, he8217;d told us about his film. Now that it was complete and his performance in it was upto his own exacting standards I felt extraordinarily proud and happy for him. The vagaries of an acting career I have seen close up, knowing quite a few of the acting fraternity as good friends8217;, but rarely does the before and after enthusiasm of a role match. In Rahul8217;s case it had and I could feel this senseof accomplishment bubbling out as he tried to convey it to me. Bravo! The other melancholic coincidence was that after dinner last year with Rahul, Sanjeev and I had joined my friend, the late Jaideep Garware, and another friend for a second8217; dinner in what sadly and tragically was Jaideep8217;s farewell to the world. That we were at the Apollo Bar that night and at the Rendezvous for Sonia8217;s birthday and that Nikita and Nihal Garware were also there on Saturday, all made for a nostalgic tear in the corner of the eye8217; moment, which I determinedly conquered. Sonia Garware8217;s party was unequivocally one of the best in recent memory. Anyone who is so gracious and hospitable doesn8217;t deserve anything but praise, but the city does have its share of uncharitable souls. To anyone who was there and meowed after, I call them not just Namak Harams8217; but Champagne Harams8217; and trust me, this city has a fair share of this lot too! They come, eat, drink make merry and then moan and whine to anyone who will listen about whatwas not perfect about the party, as if they would ever know!

Sonia Garware and her whole extended family taught the city on Saturday night what a great evening was and I salute them for their warmth and hospitality. They have had their fair share of pain and tragedy. How we bear our pain doesn8217;t make us newsworthy, how we conquer it and come up on top does! Happy Birthday Sonia! Like they say, may you live to be a hundred!