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Royal challenge presents the telegraph x mas eve at tolly club
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Mood: Forget the fear, dump the downturn... it’s the time to party, folks! Cars started to queue up outside Tollygunge Club a little after 9pm. And no one grumbled about the thorough check at the gate. After all, it was just a precautionary pause before partying all night.
Twinkling lights that draped the club building and the greens transported members and guests into fairyland. The bonfire by the bamboo grove, signature Tolly, was in full glow and kept those who had gathered around it with an early drink quite warm. “The ambience is great,” smiled K.B Menon of Tolly Club.
The yuppie brigade thronged the grounds for this year’s Xmas Eve celebrations. Anurag Kar, 22, was spotted chilling with his gang of friends. “I came here because it is one of the oldest and best clubs and the crowd is good,” he smiled.
Tollywood’s Sohini Pal (daughter of Tapas Pal) was dressed in a black and white dress. “Last year I was in Bangalore so couldn’t make it to Tolly. I like coming here for Christmas because it is a good place to catch up with old friends,” she smiled. Also spotted was model-turned-actress Shreya Pande (daughter of MLA Sadhan Pande) now trying her luck in Mumbai. “It feels like home here,” she smiled, dressed in a black one-shoulder Manish Malhotra number.
And then there was Santa (at the Vodafone kiosk) happily clicking and being clicked with revellers. Spotted next to him was city model Dimpy, in a red strappy dress, white shrug and black boots.
Food: The lengthy menu at the coupon counter had a lot in store for foodies. There was Mutton Biryani for the famished and quick bites like Cocktail Samosa and Crispy Potato for others. Fish finger was the munch hit of the night.
Fashion: The party people were dressed to thrill. And yes, skin was in. Despite the dipping temperature, there were off-shoulders aplenty. Hemlines went up and necklines dropped. Black was dethroned as the party-goers mixed up their wardrobe shade card. Balloon dresses, super short skirts and draped stoles were some trends doing the rounds. Fancy headgear was the other highlight. Giving the Santa caps company were colourful reindeer and devil’s horns.
Music: Shiva got the party rocking with numbers like Livin’ la Vida Loca, Superstar and La Bamba. Star DJ Akbar Sami, dressed in all black, was welcomed with thunderous applause at the stroke of midnight. And when his voice boomed from underneath that Ghajini cap — “Can I see all those hands up in the air” — the dance floor filled up in minutes. He mixed it up nice with old and new beats. Jalwa 2009, Singh is kinng, Om shanti om and Pappu can’t dance, saala sent the dance crowd into a tizzy.
Signature presents the telegraph xmas eve at rcgc
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Mood: It was all about the bygone days with friends and family flocking to the Royal Calcutta Golf Club (RCGC) on Christmas Eve. “We prefer to create an environment that is safe, secure and comfortable for all our guests. People keep rolling in through the night, some as late as 1.30am! The idea is not to have a dance floor that’s bursting with all kinds of people, but one that is exclusive and low-key and enjoyable for everyone,” smiled Jaideep Gangopadhyay of RCGC. It was a party where if you were not in the mood to jive, you could just sit back, relax and cheer on the oldies dancing merrily to classics like Sweet Caroline.
Food: The spread was as ‘Christmasy’ as it was homey and enjoyable. There were cold cuts, mouth-watering kebabs and scores of snacks. Platters of Chicken Gold Coin, Golden Fried Prawn, Mutton Sheekh Kebab and Chicken Reshmi Kebab flowed as fast as the drinks. The well-stocked bar counters served up McDowell’s Signature Whisky, bottles of Zinzi wine and Jura Scotch whisky. For dessert there was ice-cream and nolen gurer sandesh.
Fashion: Some women who dressed in handloom silks and kanjeevarams impressed as much as the dandy men in suits. The PYTs in knee-length jackets, empire-line tops with plunging necklines did their bit to boost the eye-candy quotient. The LBD was ubiquitous and given the headcount, the range of the various kinds of dresses was quite impressive. Asymmetrical hemlines, A-lines, strappy (almost summery) georgette dresses… and what not! But the men decided to play it safe, with a rather sedate choice of ties.
Music: Gary Lawyer rocked and had the twinkle-toed couples on their feet as early as 10.30 in the evening (by Christmas Eve standards). With classics like New York New York and Great Balls of Fire it was foot-tapping stuff. Gary cut a dashing figure with a maroon scarf and navy blue sweatshirt had the crowd jiving like there was no tomorrow with Elvis Presley classic Jailhouse Rock and popular Queen numbers Crazy Little Thing Called Love and I Want To Break Free. But what would Christmas be without one Christmas song? “I don’t have the track but I’ll sing this for you anyway,” smiled Gary and crooned the classic White Christmas in his mellow golden voice. There was Summer of 69, Smooth, Come on Baby Light My Fire and Roadhouse Blues too. Gary’s show was followed by DJ Ravi’s beats who churned out his remix of Wham’s Last Christmas and popular Bolly tracks Desi girl, Pappu can’t dance, saala, Talli...
Signature presents the telegraph xmas eve at saturday club
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Mood: British with a desi punch — that is the the trademark Saturday Club Christmas Eve party for you. Security consisted of a metal detector, CCTV and guards at the entrance. The hall had a beautiful Nativity, as well as a brightly decorated Christmas tree. The greens were lit up with strands of colourful fairy lights. A cheerful bonfire burned bright in the centre of the lawn. “The best thing about our party is the crowd. There are 18-year-olds and there are 80-year-olds. It’s a family party. We had more than 1,300 guests this year,” said Rajen Sood, the club president.
No one symbolised the Christmas mood more than Lal Hirnandani, with his Santa cap and goody bag of gifts. “The best thing about this place is its ambience,” said Priyanka Chandhok, one of the guests. The evening began quietly, with the tempo picking up post midnight. “It’s the first time that I am spending Christmas Eve at Saturday Club, and it’s a really nice party,” said t2 columnist Sachin Varma.
Music: “We’ll push the temperature so high, you’ll have to take off your jackets,” joked Tina, model and emcee for the evening. The first to take the stage for an hour was the dance group Sapphire Creations with an array of well-choreographed pieces. A short preview session with DJ Vicky to show what the night had in store got the people on the dance floor. And then it was over to Hip Pocket.
Mamma Mia, Rivers of Babylon, My Heart Goes Sha La La La... Hip Pocket, with Rila Banerjee for company, belted out a steady flow of hits. At midnight, the band stopped, with Hip Pocket frontman and t2 columnist Nondon Bagchi wishing the gathering a Merry Christmas. It was time for Long Time Ago in Bethlehem. For the last number, Hip Pocket was joined by Joy Bhaduri for Roadhouse Blues.
Then it was over to DJ Vicky again, who blended hit English numbers like Summer of ‘69, with Bolly chartbusters like Nagada, Desi girl, Billo rani, Pappu can’t dance, saala bringing the party alive on the dance floor. “I’m enjoying the music and I like the bonfire,” said a smiling Dimpy Magon.
Prizes: What’s Merry Christmas without some goodies? And the most obvious one was for the Best Dancing Couple. The gift was bagged by Neil and Tashi.
Food: It was a perfect Christmas spread with Roast Turkey, Roast Duck and Roast Chicken on the menu, with old favourites like Chicken and Paneer Shaslik thrown in. For the desi tastebuds there were kebabs, Makki Di Roti and Sarson Da Saag, Dal Makhni and Naan. For thirst-quenchers, there was a well-stocked bar with alcoholic and non-alcoholic choices aplenty.
Fashion: Black was the colour of the evening — everything from the LBD to long gowns — with some reds and beiges thrown in. Some chose to be covered in jeans and sweaters, but halter-necks and strapless dresses were spotted too. There were short denim skirts, flowing skirts, leggings, tunics, empire-line dresses. Bling was given a miss but not quirkiness with quite a few red Santa caps spotted in the crowd.
signature presents the telegraph xmas eve at cc&fc
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Mood: Solidarity and togetherness was the mantra for the evening. Fairy lights, angeethis and bonfires added a warm glow to the chilly December night. The
7, 000 sq ft air-conditioned shamiana was the main draw of the event with a fashion show, live band, item number and DJ. “We were aware of the security alerts across the city and were initially a little worried but despite all that about 1,500 people showed up at the party. That is enough evidence that people are not going to be bogged down by such trivial threats any more and will stand together,” said club president Kiran Desai.
Food: The Christmas Eve crowd dug into chaat from Gupta Brothers, kebabs and tandoori items from Arsalan, and Chinese delights from Red Hot Chilli Pepper. And the rush for the bar counters was relentless. “We are really having such a great time catching up with friends from overseas who are visiting us this Christmas. And despite the cold there is so much warmth around,” smiled beautician Bridgette Jones, as she settled down at the dinner table with with t2 yoga columnist Meera Vaghani and some friends.
Fashion: A fashion show kick-started the evening do with shimmery saris teamed with blingy corsets, and mermaid-like dresses in maroons, wine and black, and lots of skin. Calcutta models led by Jessica, Dipannita and Ishika strutted the makeshift ramp amidst loud cheers. But off the ramp, comfort ruled the dress code. Dresses, salwar kameez and saris were teamed with jackets, stoles and knitted shrugs. Black was the colour of the night with bling being king — or rather queen! The floor was a mix of wedges, stilettos and knee-high boots, but that didn’t stop anyone from trying out their dance steps.
Music: After Shonali with her sizzling Sajna anari set the stage on fire, Krosswindz occupied centre stage and brought in a mood of nostalgia with La Bamba, Shy Guy and Roadhouse Blues as everyone sang along. The clock struck 12 with the Summer of ’69 and the midnight mood got swinging with Rock on!! and Vive la Ketchup. “It’s fun but you can’t really dance to these numbers. We are waiting for the DJ,” rued 20-year old Ruchira. Sure enough, DJ Sachin with his techno versions of Maa da laadla bigad gaya, Mein talli ho gayi and Bhool bhulaiya had everyone moving and shaking.
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Royal Challenge in association with Calcutta Swimming Club presented the Xmas Eve (co sponsored by The Telegraph).The party rocked with Sunidhi Chauhan churning out her trademark Bolly hits from Beedi to Dance pe chance. “She is a real crowd-puller, with a great voice and great moves,” gushed a gang of five friends grooving away beyond midnight. Pictures by Bishwarup Dutta | ||
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Calcutta South Club rocked with Signature presents Xmas Eve, in association with | |
