Glimpses from US National Day reception

The celebration was organised after a Covid-enforced delay at JW Marriott

Sudeshna Banerjee Published 08.11.22, 04:20 AM

US consul general Melinda Pavek greets the government representative Vivek Kumar, additional chief secretary, forest department; Adrian Pratt, director, American Center delivers his address

The Fourth of July, described by US consul general Melinda Pavek as a “time for barbecue and family celebrations”, may have quietly gone by in the shadow of the pandemic. But the rescheduled National Day reception on November 1 brought no less cheer to the gathering at JW Marriott.Pavek referred to the “pre-eminent place” of the Calcutta consulate general in history, being “one of the oldest American consulates in the world and the oldest in India”. “In 1792, the first US president, George Washington, had appointed Benjamin Joy as the US consul to India in Calcutta. That appointment happened 230 years ago and we have been celebrating it this year,” she said.An exhibition of photographs showcased significant moments in Indo-American history in Calcutta.

A display of significant moments of American connections with Calcutta captured in photographs

Nayantara Palchoudhuri

Japan consul general Koichi Nakagawa and his wife Yayoi check out the pictures

HEADTURNERS: New York-based Mridul Pathak in a sleeveless jacket with stars and stripes; Satnam Singh Ahluwalia and Gunnu in matching outfi

The eight pound cake that was cut on the occasion was a creation of JW Bakery. “It is a single origin chocolate cake with caramel. The photograph on it is a collage of three different pictures that we have designed ourselves,” said Bhaskar Chakraborty, the executive pastry chef, JW Marriott

The consul general cuts a cake along with Vivek Kumar and JW Marriott general manager Sumit Suri

The 360° photo booth was a big hit. Guests walking in were asked to step up on a circular podium which rotated and around which a cellphone attached to an inclined stand also rotated. The result was a fun video clip.