Surprise invitation

Yesterday evening I hosted a post-screening dinner for the film Life Goes On on behalf of Prabha Khaitan Foundation in association with The Conclave.

The director of the film, UK-based Sangeeta Datta, is known to me as is Rinku di. As expected, it started around 10 pm and finished late.

I met Soha (picture) after almost a year. I had last met her at the London Ananda Utsav. Many celebs from Tollywood and other eminent Kolkatans were there at the get together.

The attendance was a shade less than what Sangeeta had expected but still it turned out to be a lovely enjoyable evening.

Before dinner I went to Hotel Hyatt Regency to attend a reception hosted by J K Saraf, Honorary Consul of Chile. The reception was in honour of His Excellency Cristian Barros, Ambassador of Chile, in India and his wife (picture).

I was surprised to receive this invitation as one of my earlier articles on Honorary Consuls, published in the Hindustan Times, had upset Mr Saraf and others. He had raised the issue that I should not be invited to the diplomatic functions and neither should Honorary Consuls attend mine.

Though I was hosting the dinner on my own at The Conclave, I made it a point to attend Hyatt. Mr Saraf was quite warm and hospitable. But my presence did raise eyebrows of couple of other Honorary Consuls.

Mr Saraf introduced me to the Ambassador and his wife whom I had met years ago in UK. I also met artist Sunil Das at the reception (picture).

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