In Delhi after the Games

It is Friday night, a new phenomenon in the country that took off two or three years ago on the lines of Saturday Nite Fever that started about a decade ago in the metros.

Delhi’s weather is very soothing at present, poised somewhere between the retreat summer and the approaching winter. Suddenly, most of the star hotels in the capital are full. All the hotels were hoping to be fully booked during the Commonwealth Games but were only reasonably filled up. Contrary to expectations the occupancy at the star hotels suddenly shot up post Games.

Today, earlier in the evening, I was discussing this with my friend Timothy Bruce, who is the General Manager of Hyatt, and we both agreed that it could be the people had planned their Delhi appointments after the Commonwealth Games for business and other meetings. I remember earlier this year when we were discussing with few of the hotel groups for our corporate arrangements, almost all the groups had given us offer blacking out dates of Commonwealth Games.

But it seems in Delhi’s drawing rooms, at the India International Centre lounge and at the five star hotel coffee shops, the Commonwealth Games are no more being discussed. I missed today evening’s National Film Award function at the Vigyan Bhawan as I had to attend the reception marking celebrations of United Nations Day at the United Nations Lawns in 55 Lodhi Estate.

I saw Amitabh Bacchan in the Hyatt lobby, the moment I saw him I realized that he is in Delhi for the Film Award function. Although I wanted to attend the Award function but my current responsibility in WFUNA demanded my presence at the UN function.
I met UNIC officials Rajeev Chandran and Sanjana from the Director of UNIC office at the reception and also said hello to Patrice Coeur Bizot, the UN resident co-ordinator. UNIC Delhi ist still waiting for the their new director to join since Shalini Deewan last completed her tenure. It was a gathering of diplomats, bureaucrats and officials of Delhi. I also met Mayor Arti Mehra after long time. Iin the evening, while leaving for Lodhi Estate I also met Rahul Todi near the reception at the hotel.

Tomorow early morning I shall leave for Amritsar.

ess bee