With a touch of pink

There are few things as pleasant as an evening that combines pleasure and a good cause — and this was exactly what took place at the Taj West End recently, at an event which sought to promote awareness about the issue of breast cancer.

The hotel collaborated with international brand Estee Lauder to do this and innovatively, came up with the idea of continuing a global trend — illuminating the entire building in pink.

This initiative has been taking place in other famous monuments across the world, such as the Empire State Building in New York, the Sydney Opera House and the Louvre in Paris, to name a few — but this is the first such project in Karnataka.

And indeed, it was a sight worth watching. The entire hotel was decked up in soft, pink lighting prior to the guests’ arrival and the theme was carried on in other aspects of the function as well — pale pink bouquets, silken draperies and even pink hors d’oeuvres like iced cupcakes — lent a charming quality to the evening.

The guests began to filter in around eight and much laughter and conversation followed. Everyone was deeply conscious of the social motive behind the event. All proceeds from the dinner — which was held by invite only — would be used to further promote aw­areness about the dreaded disease. Most of the guests peered around, admiring the manner in which the building had been lit up.

As the guests filtered in to the event, they were greeted with the choicest of finger foods and of course, pink drinks.  Chef Sandip Narang, from the hotel, outdid himself with a wonderfully-crafted five-course dinner. It featured some lovely Indian dishes like Anardana, Mint Shikampuri Tikki, Haldi aur Mirchwali Tawa Machli, Bhatti ke Pasliyan and Zafr­ani tofu, among others.

The guests were also serenaded by ‘One Nite Stand’, a Bangalore-based band which revisited the yesteryears with a retro-themed line up.  Rohan Vaziralli, the country manager of Estee Lauder Companies India and Sanjay Sood, the general manager of the Taj West End, milled around with the guests, greeting the­m and making them feel welcome on the occasion.

Sanjay Sood says, “The event not only aims to spread awar­en­ess on breast cancer via educating, researching and creating cognisance, but also ce­l­e­­brate the invincible spirit of women in overcoming illness.”