The lawns of the Russian consulate general in Alipore were lit up with fairy lights, lending a warm, yellow glow to the greenery. The consulate was hosting a party to usher in the festive season, with music and games on the evening’s schedule.

Consul general Maxim Kozlov set the tone, with a short impromptu speech, inviting guests to let their hair down in the party where a drink of water was optional, vodka was not. He switched to chaste Bengali in the later half of the speech, ending with a candid request: “Jodi kichhu bhultruti hoy, amake dosharop korben”.

The guests enjoy the performances

Vice-consul Ekaterina Tyurina, who was the MC along with senior consul Grigory Antonenkov, had a set of questions ready on Russia (see box), with dymkovo toys or mini vodka bottles as prizes for correct answers. Durri Bhalla got one by responding to the name for Russian salad while Usha Dadlani correctly identified the colour of the Kremlin to be red. Gautam Ghosh, a Gorky Sadan veteran of 49 years, named the date of the Russian new year.

The lawn turned to a dance floor as Ivan Grubin took the mic. With mother Ketrin Mallik, he belted out Boney M’s Rasputin, Kalinka, a Russian folk, and a romantic number Dorogoi Dlinnoyu, the English adaptation of which (Those Were The Days) is popular around the world.

All the guests finally joined in khorovod, a circle dance.