Bengali dinner for Roopa in Jaipur

I took the afternoon flight yesterday for Jaipur and returned to Kolkata today morning as I’ll leave for New York today evening.

The Jaipur trip was a sudden inclusion in my weekly itinerary as my friend Roopa Ganguly was there in Rajasthan for a shoot and I decided to host a dinner for her and invite few friends and acquaintances of mine in Jaipur to say hello to her.

Roopa’s Rajasthan trip was long due as she wanted to go to Salasar since a long time. She believes that her son is a gift from Salasar Balaji Temple. As she had to stay for the evening in Jaipur en route to Salasar and I arranged for the get together after her shoot.

I hosted the dinner party at the ITC Rajputana Resident’s terrace lounge. I arranged for a Bengali theme dinner for which the ITC Sonar Bangla Sheraton and Towers was kind enough to send their chef to Jaipur from Kolkata on one day’s notice. All the guests went gaga over Bengali food. I also arranged for sandesh from Ganguram and Balaram Mullick along with kantha uttoriya (shawl) and Shantiniketan bags (jholas) for the guests.

By the time the place was fully ready to welcome the guests in Bengali decor with kola pata (banana leaves), sankh (conch), daa (tender coconut) etc.

There was a downpour and the terrace became messy. But as the saying goes “Whatever happens happens for good” – the rains made the weather pleasant and the guests, who turned up on the late invitation, enjoyed every moment of being there.

Thanks to ITC Rajputana for making alternative arrangements at the banquets to ensure the party went on. They also had the whole terrace quickly redecorated and cleared the water logging.

The rains, which can play spoilsport, was overdue in the desert state made it all the more pleasant. Today evening I shall fly to Dubai for New York.

ess bee