A scene from the play Is Job Charnock Coming To Dinner at Swabhumi

The Creative Arts lived up to its name again. This time by staging a play, directed by Ramanjit Kaur, which explored the old-world charm of Calcutta at Swabhumi, the heritage plaza of the city. Is Job Charnock Coming To Dinner as the play was titled, had many firsts to its credit for not only did it bring together artistes from visual and performing fields, teachers, executives, students and children but also young adults from the Disha foundation as well as hearing-impaired performers.

Is Job Charnock Coming To Dinner was more than just a play — serving as a journey between the Calcutta of yesterday and the city we live in today. The play unfolded in the Mukhopadhyay household and through the relationships between the characters and the events that unravelled while preparing for a dinner, reinforced the impression that Calcutta is still a city teeming with enthusiasm. It established the point that though the name has changed, the spirit and warmth of the city remain untouched.As the performance unfolded, children playing, the vegetable vendor, the family engaged in a puja and a US- returned Sam trying to find his roots, evoked powerful impressions of the typical Calcutta household. As one of the characters Mukul Mukhopadhyay, announced that Job Charnock was coming to dinner, the household began preparing for the event even as renditions of Bengali songs and rejoicing by the whole family added colour to the performance.

An interesting point of the play was the realisation that though the household was preparing for the dinner, they were resenting it in their hearts. And when the news arrived that Charnock was not coming because he could not find Sutanuti, the joy felt by the family members made it metaphorical at many levels. What came across at the end was an interplay of powerful images that left a lasting impression on the minds of Calcuttans.

Chef Deepak Bhatia and Piu Sarkar with some of the specialities from the Swiss food festival at the Waterside Café

Swiss treats

Just in case you’d always thought that chocolates, watches and banks more or less summed up the best of what Switzerland had to offer, a visit to the ongoing promotion at the Waterside Café might well inspire you into doing a major re-think. For every Thursday night, the 24-hour restaurant at The Hyatt Regency is laying out a sumptuous spread, rustled up by executive chef Deepak Bhatia that’s all set to woo diners with the choicest of Swiss delights.

ine-up on offer takes in a variety of dishes that are typically Swiss and topping the list here is the Swiss cheese fondue where melted Gruyere and Emmenthal cheese flavoured with garlic, white wine and nutmeg and finished with kirsch, is served over bite-sized cubes of bread for a mouth- watering treat. Next up is the barley soup and the world- famous Swiss Roesti, served plain or sprinkled with mushrooms and asparagus while the Swiss cheese salad with chicken sausages and red skin onions and the shredded Tenderloin Zürichoise with gratinated potatoes and leeks on the side are as delicious as it gets. Sadly enough, Swiss desserts are missing on the menu, but sweet endings from the regular buffet more than make up for this.

The Swiss buffet is priced at Rs 525, plus taxes and while the promotion is initially on for a month, plans are on the cards to extend it, depending on the response. For further details, or reservations, call: 2335 1234.