(From top) A dance troupe in performance at the International Evening in Calcutta Club; Riya and Raima at the same do; Kaamna sizzles on the stage at the Diamond Seasons Awards Night at Taj Bengal; Tanushree Dutta at the same event; a packed dance floor at the launch of Venom. Pictures by Rashbehari Das and Pabitra Das

What: International Evening 2006. Where: Calcutta Club premises.

When: January 28, 7 pm onwards.

The show: The chill in the Saturday night air was hardly a deterrent for the open-air event that saw a large turnout. There were men mostly in suits and women in a mix of traditional wear as well as westerns, and there were both senior citizens and youngsters busy catching up with family and friends.

The food counters with about 32 cuisine kinds on offer and the entertainment package with fusion as the flavour were in perfect sync with the theme for the evening: We Are The World.

The hi-tech stage for the gala event conceptualised by veteran architect Dulal Mukherjee first played host to the likes of Pandit Subhankar Banerjee, Violin Brothers, Purbayan Chatterjee and Gopal Burman who regaled the audience to some ‘global’ music.

A concept of Partha Ghosh and Kallol Basu, the musical performance dubbed The Melting Pot was an eclectic blend of rhythmic classical notes along with sounds from various parts of the world. If the medley of music with the tabla, sitar, violin, guitar, and drums made for a rare symphony on the club lawns, dance performances by Mumbai-based Farah and troupe managed to up the tempo. It was patriotic rhapsody near the end with Vande Mataram and dancers marching in with the tricolour aloft.

Later, audiences sailed through a melodious journey with the band Indian Ocean. An elderly couple led revellers on to the dance floor. Foot-tapping DJ music kept the dance floor warm deep into the night.

The stars: Anjan Dutt, Arindam Sil, Shayan Munshi, Parambrata and of course the Sen sisters ? Riya looking gorgeous in a black and blue salwar suit and Raima glowing in a citrine one. The star cast of Anjan’s latest venture, The Bong Connection, stole the show with a brief appearance on stage. “My music has always been synonymous with the youth brigade and they shall hopefully connect to the film too,” said Anjan. An enthusiastic Parambrata exclaimed, “Long live Bongs and Bong connections”, before Dibyendu Mukherjee of Orient Express fame belted out Sujan majhi re, a song from the film now being shot in town.

Sip ’n’ bite: The food counters displaying speciality delicacies from all over were a big draw. The assortment included Hilsa Fry, Sarisha Ilish, Dimsum, Vermicelli Soup and Chicken in Green Almond Sauce to name but a few. The busy bar counters offered whisky, vodka, rum and soft drinks. There was a hookah bar too for the party people to drink, smoke and munch on kebabs.

Voiceover: “As the name suggests, the idea was to bring in a global feel with the food and music. This will definitely build up the momentum for the centenary celebrations of the club next year,” said S.B. Ganguly, CEO and executive chairman of Exide Industries, who is also chairman of the International Evening committee for 2006.

Debut pitch

What: Opening of Venom.

Where: Fort Knox, the jewellery mall on 6 Camac Street.

When: January 28, 9 pm onwards.

Concept: Dazzling lights, synchronised sound and sight and a big dance floor?Venom, on the eighth floor, is all set to give a new high to party hoppers of the city. “When we were conceptualising the place, the first thing we kept in mind was the space. Most party people complained of lack of space at other night clubs. Second comes the novelty factor. The music, the milieu and the make, everything in a new night club should be slightly different from the other night clubs,” said Bunty Sethi, proprietor of Venom.

The star chamber: The 3,000 sq ft night club has an exclusive area for its platinum members with an exclusive bar and personalised television screens.

The music: The console at Venom boasts three popular DJs of Calcutta ? DJ Sumedh, DJ Sethi and DJ Vicky who has made music at places like Anti-Clock and Winning Streak. “The commercial Hindi and English songs always work with the party crowd in Calcutta. We are going to stick to the same success formula,” says DJ Vicky.

Actress Mandira Bedi was the star attraction of the dance floor at Shisha on Saturday night. The lady dropped in with friends, including actor Samir Soni, close to midnight and grooved till well after 2 am, breaking off occasionally to sip on wine and down some shooters. Pictures by Rashbehari Das

Dazzle do

What: Diamond Seasons Awards Night organised by the Diamond Trading Company (DTC).

Where: The Crystal Room at Taj Bengal.

When: January 29.

The show: The stage was simple yet majestic in royal blue and white. As representatives of leading jewellery houses eagerly awaited the results, the show had hostess Pooja Mishra in a black cocktail dress starting off the evening.

The stage was soon taken over by the coy beauty of Chhor do aanchal fame Kaamna Jethmalani in an electric red garb, starting predictably with the Bombay Viking song before moving on to Bheege honth tere, Just chill and Dus bahaane.

The event, scheduled to be held in four major metros plus Ahmedabad and Hyderabad, drew 35 jewellers from Calcutta as participants. A full-scale evaluation was carried out for almost three months where the showrooms were marked on display, shopping experience for customers, promotions and incentives.

Prasad Kapre, director, diamond promotion service, DTC, said: “Over the years the diamond has changed itself to become a timeless possession. The awards are an effort to recognise those who continuously help do so.”

Awards were given away in three categories ? Best Window Display won by Indian Gem and Jewellery, Camac Street, Best Shopping Experience won by Ramesh Chandra Parekh Jewellers and the Best Stock and Range won by Sawansukha Jewellers, Little Russell Street.

The biggest draw of the evening though was Laughter Challenge finalist Naveen Prabhakar, who dabbled in politics and films, small screen and cell phones to send everyone into splits. Then, Kaamna was back for another round of hip-swaying chartbusters.

The star: Bollywood star Tanushree Dutta turned up in a indigo blue zardosi sari to hand over the Best Showroom award to Senco Gold Megashop, Kanak Jewellers, Senco Jewellery Palace and Anjali Jewellers. The Chocolate girl made a brief appearance to congratulate the winners before handing over the prizes.

Voiceover: “In this industry where service is a top priority, such an event is definitely an incentive for jewellery houses and their salespersons. Promotions like the Diamond Season create an awareness that diamonds are for all and affordable too,” said Premjit Sengupta, area manager- East, DTC.