This story is from February 19, 2008

Where angels fear to tread...

ARPITA BASU / TNN / Feb 19, 2008, 00:00 IST

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... Kolkata sheds inhibitions to make one hell of a noise at the Calcutta Times Party.

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DEVIL MAY CARE: Ananya swings to the mood. (TOI Photo)There are bashes and then there is The Calcutta Times bash. Hey, we didn��t say that! Just ask our guests who made Friday��s do a rocking success.
Talked about for days before it was held, D-Day brought in its wake more fodder to chew on. We were all ears when Kolkata��s celebrities got talking.
��The party was great!�� said industrialist Harsh Neotia, adding an afterthought that made all the difference: ��as usual��. Percussionist Bickram Ghosh, who is not much of a party-hopper any longer, felt CT had got the ��rhythm�� just right. ��The party is one of the high points in the social life of Kolkata. The entrance caught my fancy and set the tone for the party. There were options galore for everyone �� those who wanted to dance, had the huge floor to themselves, while others, who wanted to catch up with their friends, could do so with a drink in hand,�� he said.
��Getting invited to such a party makes you feel special. It shows that you are counted in the social circuit,�� said Dev of the designer duo Dev r Nil. Taking a cue from the ensembles on display at the party, he said Kolkatans were dressing far better than before; investing a lot of their time, energy and disposable incomes to get their look right. ��At the CT Party, everyone makes sure they are well-dressed. June was looking fabulous, and so was model Sanjukta, who carried off a tube dress beautifully,�� he said.

When it comes to dressing the part, are men willing to be left two steps behind? You must be kidding! ��These days men are taking a lot of pains to look good,�� Ghosh quipped. No wonder the ensemble that caught model Sreshthaa��s eye was one that sat pretty on a man��s shoulders. ��Designer Nil was dressed in an intricately-embroidered velvet jacket teamed with Jodhpuris. The look was perfect. I saw a lot of white and black, particularly among the men. As for me, I associate myself with the devil, and hence, opted for the red and black colour code,�� she smiled. Red was very much the flavour of the night. ��The card mentioned a little red dress and I tried to wear red and black to match the theme, Saints and Sinners. In our time, there used to be theme parties, where the mood of the evening would be Royalty or Rags and Riches,�� pointed out image consultant Rita Bhimani.

Dress code or no dress code, for actor Tota Roychoudhury, comfort was the mantra. ��I chose to be a sinner and did away with my prim and propah image. Since I came straight from a shoot, I wore what I was comfortable in. Even habitually sloppy people had turned up in their best outfits!�� the actor gushed.
Speaking of food, was anyone watching waistlines? ��The food was so good that my diet went for a toss,�� said Sreshthaa. (So did ours, sweetie!) A tummy infection, however, kept model Dipannita away from the lavish spread.As guests partied into the wee hours, the general consensus was that Kolkata has grown up. Tota and Dev even rated Kolkata as the one with best party scene in the country. ��It��s only here that the clubs remain open till 6 am,�� Shresthaa chuckled. Dipannita, who made a stunning entry in a Malini Ramani dress, found the CT bash to be a ��welcome break for those of us who are sick of the city��s party circuit. I wish we had CT parties every week!�� Shall we take that as the last word?

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