Anyone else on a Christmas carol binge? Or is it just me? I’m also happy to report that my tree is up, lights, baubles, the works; no easy task with a one-year-old running around. All across the city, the warm fuzzy vibe continues, with cake mixing making way for the tree lighting ceremonies. Hilton Chennai showed off their frosted wonder ensconced in its own twinkling bird cage of sorts, while The Leela Palace chose to be brave and put their giant tree outside, despite the temperamental weather. At Hyatt Regency, we had to crane our necks to see the top with one of the tallest trees in the city at 35 feet high! And with everyone wanting to look their best, we saw some hard core shopping at the Hi-Life exhibition, an annual favourite. Following closely on the shopping was the opening of the AIMS Institute with a super glamourous guest list and Minister Mathiventhan doing the honours.
The rest of the week was a serious mix showing us just how diverse Chennai can be. Here’s the recap. Popular choir El Fé Act presented their first solo show at Medai in Alwarpet, which saw a full house. It was high energy from start to finish and the audience lapped it up. There was quite the range, with eclectic mashups featuring everything from Urvasi to MJ’s Beat it. Everyone loved the segment of interactive harmonies which had the crowd singing along.
I spent a big chunk of this weekend on the coast celebrating a friend’s birthday, after a high voltage time at the track last weekend. It was great to be able to enjoy a ‘chill scene’, with much needed pool time, and many hilarious reels. Meanwhile, back in the city, the young and the restless had gathered for an after-party at Sekhmet, to celebrate the success of the first season of the Indian Racing league and its Chennai leg, hosted by home team, The Chennai Turbo Riders. All of the team drivers, technicians, sports junkies and fans of the team, had a blast, toasting to a great season. Of course, everyone was excited to meet female racer Nicole Havrda, who in a quick chat earlier told me how much she’s enjoying her time in India. Meanwhile, The Living Room in Anna Nagar was celebrating its second anniversary with their patrons and well wishers, with a special menu and exotic drinks. Also taking place at Taj Coromandel were celebrations for the National Day of the Kingdom of Thailand by the Royal Thai Consulate- General Chennai. Guests were treated to a delectable spread curated specially for the evening.