Sunday, March 6, 2011

The Tribune-Chatterati-Feb.21st.2011

"Polo, a nice eyeful"
Polo for Delhiites always means a nice sunny afternoon at the polo grounds. Glamour, style and a life of the rich, is what polo lovers and players are associated with. The galloping of the expensive horses with the handsome players are anyway a delightful sight. The rhythm of both can easily give any spectator a high. In the winter season, the polo grounds of Delhi host many national and international matches. The army along with their steeds is always an integral part of this sport. Recently the Amity Polo Cup exhibition match was especially dedicated to the support of the girl child. Every year this event is organized to support "Amitasha" for the well-being of underprivileged girls through the Amity Humanity foundation. Sultanah Zandriah and princess Naseera Iskandar of Johar Malaysia were the chief guests. The surprise of the afternoon here and adding to the glamour quotient were Bollywood actress Chitrangada Singh with her golfer husband Jyoti Randhawa. Designer Ritu Kumar is of course a regular at polo matches.
On another sunny Sunday recently through a breezy afternoon, Delhi's glamorous lot were seen enjoying the Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve Polo day. Then the elegantly dressed Royalty was at its best. The dapper charming Vikramaditya Singh of Kashmir is a great player and hosts an event every year. Royalty is an integral part of polo. It is said polo originated from Ladakh.
Hectic social season
This is a hectic social season at the moment in the Capital. Most politicians plan their dos on week days or when Parliament is on. Then you are sure to have maximum attendance at your party. Major Dalbir Singh of the Congress hosted his annual dinner last week.
His circle of friends range from generals of the Army to diplomats. Of course, there is Mrs Gurcharan Singh, the Prime Minister's wife who has never missed this evening in years. The others who are permanent at his dinners are Montek and Isher Ahluwalia.
Here you can spot Randhir Singh of Indian Olympics chatting with Satyavrat Chaturvedi of the Congress or Moti Lal Vohra discussing serious matters with Virbhadra Singh, minister of small scale industries. The rain did not dampen anyone's spirits as the gathering got bigger and bigger. M. S. Gill, Anil Sashtri, Vinod Duggal and his elegant wife Madhu made a rare appearance. Dalbir joined the Congress many years back after he took early retirement from the Army.
A thorough gentleman, maybe a little misfit in today's politics but he has a huge circle of well-wishers, one could see. A cheerful evening with the right mix of people, drinks and food to call it successful.

"Music lovers disappointed"
Delhi seems jinxed as far as live rock shows go. Bryan Adams was the most recent victim of this jinx last week. Sell-out concerts in Mumbai and Bangalore under his belt, Adams was looking forward to rocking Delhiites with his brand of high voltage music.
In the past too touring live acts have often had to skip Delhi performances and organizers insist it's a mixture of untenable demands for free passes, security concerns and a whole host of such excuses that make Delhi's citizen miss out on this entertainment.
The police version insists that traffic concerns and the presence of "resettlement colonies" around the venue were to blame. Of course, there is word also that too many tickets, well above capacity, had also been sold.
Music lovers of Delhi and those from around the Capital hoping to hear Adams will now have to wait for the promise held out that a show somewhere else in the national capital region may still happen, before Adams leaves India.

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