MOOD & MUSIC

The New Year’s Eve revelry kicked off with city-based band Orient Express singing Frank Sinatra’s Fly Me To The Moon. The band mixed it up with English and Latin American numbers like Mambo No. 5, Guantanamera, A Dios le Pido, Despacito and Shape of You as the dance floor filled up. “It’s always great to perform at Calcutta Club and it was great seeing the crowd enjoy themselves! I think we had the perfect recipe,” said Saurav Goswami, the vocalist. 

MIDNIGHT MOMENT

The Final Countdown by Orient Express rang in the New Year. The lights came on as the clock struck 12 and the crowd broke into hugs and kisses as a collective cheer of “Happy New Year” went up. Some were also spotted on the phone, wishing their loved ones. This was followed by a rendition of Auld Lang Syne with the revellers singing along. 

DJ Akash Rohira upped the tempo with his mix of retro and commercial English tracks. The crowd grooved to songs such as Stayin’ Alive, Dancing Queen and We Will Rock You. “The crowd is very enthusiastic! The best part was guests, both young and old, dancing away and having a great time,” Akash told t2. When he took the console for a second time after midnight, Akash played Bollywood hits like Swag se swagat and Ban ja rani. 

TWO TO TANGO

Aritra and Pratiksha Ghosh burnt the dance floor as they celebrated their first New Year’s Eve as husband and wife. “I moved to Calcutta after marriage and so this is my first New Year’s Eve here and the first time as a married couple for us. We had a really good time, especially dancing to all the Elvis numbers. I love old school, so this was perfect for me,” said Pratiksha, who owns a digital marketing agency with her husband.  

Sreejita Dey (above, right) made the most of her short work trip to the city by partying late into the night on New Year’s Eve. “December in Calcutta is special and I am happy I could make it at the last minute due to this work trip,” said Sreejita, dressed in a navy blue dress from Chemistry. 

STYLE CHECK

We caught this lady in all-red scorching the dance floor to the beats of DJ Akash. We loved her red pumps, red nail paint and the touch of red in her necklace and earrings. 

Pratyusha Basu Aditya (right) made for a stylish frame with sister-in-law Neha Dasgupta. A little white dress from Forever 21 paired with pearl strings, pearl studs and a blingy sling bag made up Pratyusha’s look. Neha was on trend with a sequinned dress, a Gucci sling bag and beige wedges from Aldo. “I come here every year and it was fantastic ringing in the new year with friends and family,” said Neha. Pratyusha’s favourite  part was “dancing to Bollywood numbers”. 

JAZZED UP WITH JACKET 

Sidharth Roy (left) and Shouvik Aditya sported bow ties. “Everyone goes for the regular tie but we wanted to wear something different while keeping to the dress code. What’s better than a classy bow tie?” said Sidharth, a businessman. 

Urvi Mukherjee shimmered in a green sequinned bodycon from SheIn, black H&M boots and blue highlighted hairtips, while Suvam Moitra looked natty in a brown suede jacket over an electric blue shirt. Together they made for a stylish couple. “The night was special because both mine and my boyfriend’s parents were spending NYE together for the first time,” said Urvi. “We danced, drank and ate a lot. It was a great night!” she added. 

Avishek Das dressed up his jacket with a pocket square and put the right foot forward on the dance floor. “I came to the dance floor when The Final Countdown started playing and never really left after that!” said Avishek, who works in the tea industry. 

FAMILY REUNION

For mother-son duo of Nilanjana and Nabarun Banerjee, there were many reasons to celebrate. “I was partying with my son who studies in Illinois and we are all back in Calcutta after 10 years. We met many of our friends and family here after a long time,” said Nilanjana, who lives in Singapore. 

DRESSED FOR THE OCCASION

Rajib Chatterjee and Sujata Datta were the winners of the Manyavar Best Dressed Male and Female titles and went home with gift vouchers from the brand.

CLUB SPEAK

“I am proud of the hard work that the committee has put in for this night and our objective all along was to ensure that our members have the best time. So it is heartening to see the young and the old enjoy so much,” said Tamal Kanti Mukherjee (centre), president, Calcutta Club, flanked by Pramit Kumar Ray (right), chairman of the social committee, and Indranil Ghosh, a committee member.

SIP & BITE

Chilli Honey-Glazed Pork, Pan Fried Chilli Paneer and Awadhi Handi Gosht Biryani were some of the fast-moving items at the food stalls. Suckling Pig, Roast Chicken with White Wine and Pineapple Gateaux were the most-in-demand dishes on the dinner menu. Whisky to vodka, there was a wide range of tipple to choose from, alongside cocktails like Bloody Mary and Screwdriver.