I was confused about whether I should start with Happy Holi or Happy Women’s Day, with both occasions going head to head on social media, vying for the top spot. One half indulged in all the pampering on offer, with a variety of deals; for groups and for ladies ‘riding solo.’ One salon even said that your age would equal the percentage of discount on your bill. The other half smeared colour on each other while rocking out to their favourite desi beats and I appreciated it all from a safe distance via Instagram. Large crowds having fun was something that occurred multiple times this week, with multiple artistes and performances. Let’s start with those and see how we go.
We’ll start with one of the most awaited shows, Martin Garrix, who on his India tour, thankfully made a stop at Chennai. Cue disappointment about John Legend not even coming as far down south as Bengaluru. And then more disappointment about the Backstreet Boys following the same route for their upcoming concerts this summer. While some of you might be thinking ‘the Backstreet Boys still exist?,’ much of the conversation by the millennials this week has been about the somewhat overpriced tickets. But that’s a conversation for another time. Back to Garrix. No surprises that the crowd loved the performance and are excited to see what else Global Sound has in store. It was then time to switch gears at the Concert for Friendship, a musical evening by the KM Music Conservatory in collaboration with British Council India, in the presence of AR Rahman. The concert featured quite the range from classical western to Tamil folks songs and carnatic melodies. Again, it was hardly surprising that the show was sold out in Chennai with everyone scrambling for tickets. And our final stop on the performance trail was at La Afro, one of the biggest beach Afro Latin dance festivals, which took place at Chariot Beach Resort, Mahabalipuram. With 500 dancers and artistes from across the world, the event included dance workshops, competitions, performances and social dancing. It was great to see the range of participants across ages and professions, many who have been dancing as a hobby for years. And more than anything, you can’t beat the feel of an ‘in person’ dance festival. Trust me, very little comes close to the frustration of the pandemic Zoom dance classes.
On the food front, we were excited to receive the invite to VB World marking the 50th anniversary of Namma Veedu Vasantha Bhavan, offering global cuisine with a side of fusion. Add to that, dessert and artisanal coffee with ‘Cones and Brew,’ to satisfy the hard core coffee lovers. The event saw a mixed group from entrepreneurs and influencers to the film fraternity. Guests were able to sample dishes while taking in the swank new venue. Our next stop was at the launch of L’Amour, a food and luxury dessert studio. Extremely instagrammable interiors and equally instagrammable desserts had the blogger brigade more than a little bit excited.
And winding up the week was the launch of Dr Preethi Udhayaraja’s latest venture, her new branch on ECR with the special addition of Unicorn Smiles, kids dentistry and Aura Skin and Aesthetics. Actor Jiiva did the honours and officially launched the space. As always Dr Preethi went all out on the décor making us forget that we’re actually at the dentist.