The 23rd Edition of the Devi Awards was an absolute hit with a stellar turnout on Wednesday evening at the ITC Grand Chola, in Guindy. While chief guest (former Lt Governor, Puducherry) Kiran Bedi set the mood for the evening by reminding us why these awards that celebrate women’s dynamism and innovation are always necessary — the small tête-a-têtes between host Kaveree Bamzai and each of the award winners kept us mesmerised with conversations that equally entertained and inspired. Among a sea of colours and subtle graceful bling, we spotted beautiful saris, a traditional madisar and formal dresses while most guests stuck to the theme for the night — red, black or white. The glitzy event had a mood of celebration right through and the awardees were celebrated wholeheartedly. It isn’t very often that an award ceremony can proudly claim an audience that was more than 80 per cent female and the Devi Awards takes pride in that achievement. We spotted the who’s who of the city at the event hobnobbing with the awardees, including actors Akshara Haasan, Arjun Chidambaram, Vishwanath PU and Santhosh Prathap; dancers Anita Ratnam and Swarnamalya Ganesh; couturier Rehane Yavar Dhala and singer Benny Dayal to name a few. The event brought together some of the biggest names in art, culture, cinema, science, education, entrepreneurship, fashion and health into a single space, leading to invigorating conversations. The primary sponsor for the event was the Adani group, with Vellore Institute of Technology as the associate partner and ITC Grand Chola as the hospitality partner. Watch out for more on the Devi Awards in our next edition.