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(From left) Shashi Tharoor, with Tufts University Provost and Senior Vice-President Jamshed Bharucha, and actress-director Soni Razdan
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It was supposed to be a presentation on the 'Development and Impact of Indian Film', with speakers Amisha Patel, Soni Razdan and Shashi Tharoor. There was to be a reception at the Crystal Ballroom, at Mumbai's Taj Mahal Hotel. There were to be dignitaries, alumni and friends of Tufts University, one of America's premier institutions of learning.
And there was. All of it. Except for the presentation, that is.
The invitation card read 7.30 pm but, apart from Razdan, most invitees walked in an hour later. There were hors d'oeuvres, a great deal of wine, and attentive waiters in white gloves. But, again, no presentation.
What we did get was an interesting talk by Tharoor, Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information of the United Nations, and an equally interesting description from Peter Kvetko, Tufts professor of South Asian music. To understand Bollywood, said Kvetko, you need to know just three words: dil, deewana and dhishum.
Text: Preetee Brahmbhatt
Photographs: Jewella C Miranda | Design: Uday Kuckian
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