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Moroccan Evenings and Dhansak Dos
Text by Shernaaz Engineer and Photographs by Ankur Chaturvedi
Published: Volume 14, Issue 7, December, 2006

Is staying in, the new going out? It's that time of year when partying can take its toll even on the most enthusiastic of social shakers. In that jaded jungle of high profile, PR-orchestrated 'events', replete with press photographers on the prowl and guests who are busier chatting with television crews than each other, a feeling of déjà vu and a surfeit of empty air kisses seems to take over. Nothing, then, like unwinding at home, with a few close friends, as you rediscover the art of entertaining with personal panache, writes Shernaaz Engineer

SABINA and AD SINGH
He: Is the hip restaurateur, whose Olive Bar and Kitchen is now almost iconic.
She: Is the funky fashion designer with her own label, 'Horn OK Please'.
He: Being in the hospitality business has some great ideas on which caterers to bring home when they entertain - like the local dosa/bhel vendor, or the ice-golawalla, when they did a street food spread.
She: Continues to be greatly inspired by her late mother-in-law who was a super hostess and immensely house-proud, bringing out her best crockery and charming guests with her eye for detail.
They: Enjoy hosting theme parties. Most memorable: a Moroccan evening at home, the living room exuding a Middle Eastern ambience, with lanterns and fabric tented all the way from the ceiling. There were Lebanese dips and Arabic music and turbans for the men who hadn't dressed the part!
She: Likes small groups. He loves large parties with people spilling all over the house, from room to room!
He: Is in charge of the starters, which is basically buttered popcorn and more. "I love organising lots of starters so people have enough to eat while they drink."
She: Loves inviting positive people home. "People who do not drag you down and who are not monosyllabic but always converse enthusiastically."
He: Genuinely admires her ability to 'inspire affection amongst many sets of people'.
They: Love dressing up, inspired by Sabina's flair for fashion that has AD sporting clothes he never dreamed he would wear - but now loves to!
She: Claims there is never a dull moment. "AD is extremely noisy and ensures that there is loads of boisterous fun."
He: Is self-admittedly and affirmed by the testimony of his wife, a terrible bartender!
He: Swears he will never host a sit-down dinner after a recent fracas when he seated two women innocently side-by-side, only to encounter icy vibes. Turns out, one's guy had goofed around with the other gal; the seating arrangement was irrevocably disastrous.
She: Confesses to meditating every day, to stay calm and centered and never suffers party pressure.
He: Suggests a snooze in the afternoon. "Or, else, get a little drunk before the guests begin to arrive!"

SCHAUNA and BIKRAM SALUJA
He: Model turned actor, most recently seen in Umrao Jaan.
She: Brisk corporate woman, working in her father's business.
They: Recently married, they love entertaining at home - but only on weekends. Bikram says, "We live in Versova, so friends from town prefer to drive up when the pace is less rushed."
He: Feels the stress. "I am finicky, I want everything in order and, I believe one really needs to pamper one's guests."
She: Is good at planning, but then kicks back and enjoys herself!
They: Had to put partying on hold for a bit due to a new addition to the family - a bulldog named Brando, who needed to be trained and broken into social etiquette!
She: Really wishes she could cook! "Maybe bake a cake or something that I could call my signature dish. But everything is so readily available that we are spoiled. Her cook, though, is famed for his chicken and prawn curries and the kheema samosas that do the rounds with drinks.
He: Loves lots of conversation and very little music but she prefers peppy Bollywood beats to get everybody into the groove. "I generally go with her suggestions, because she seems to get it all perfectly in place."
They: Are both teetotallers and leave the bar to a professional tender: "We just make sure people's glasses keep getting filled...."
She: Remembers the surprise birthday party she had for Bikram where he came back home late evening from the gym in his sweaty shorts and walked into a room full of guests!
He: Has happy memories of their pre-engagement bash thrown on the terrace of their building but is insistent that no press pictures be circulated after any of their parties: "Some things just have to be off limits."

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