The staple green of India’s oldest golf course blended into a sea of red and white as the Royal Calcutta Golf Club hosted its annual Royal Christmas Lunch on December 25. The chilly December air, complemented by a lavish European spread and some soulful live music, made it an afternoon to remember. My Kolkata takes you through the celebrations.
This family got together from Germany, Singapore, Kenya, Punjab and Kolkata for their biggest reunion. ‘Both the youngest and oldest members of our family wanted to congregate in Kolkata this year to explore our roots, because the city ties us together,’ said Arjun Dasgupta
RCGC captain Gaurav Ghosh attributed the pull of the club, which brought more than 300 members to the event, to the familiarity of the celebrations, which was key for old-timers. “Everyone talks about the New Year’s Eve celebrations here, but our oldest tradition has always been Christmas Lunch. This is the festival that keeps bringing people back to Kolkata,” he beamed.
The people behind the event were (L-R) Vikram Poddar, sub committee member, entertainment, F&B, and banquets; club CEO Col. Devrishi Singhal; and GM of operations, Amit Deb. ‘Red and white are our club colours, so it is only natural that we must come together for a grand celebration for Christmas!’ Singhal said
The emphasis on tradition seeped into every aspect of the celebration, with the entire decor adhering to the red and white theme. Old friends caught up, and the air was crisp with nostalgia. Deb summed up why RCGC is the perfect venue for such an event. “Kolkata’s Christmas eventually brings everyone back. There’s sanity here and you can actually build conversations!”
The evening had catering from Tandoor Park, with lip-smacking European delicacies like roasted turkey, grilled fish and fresh strawberry mouse. ‘We wanted the spread to be ‘royal’ in keeping with the theme!’ said Subhodev Chatterjee and Sukanya Ray, founders of Tandoor Park
This was particularly noticeable in how many families had chosen RCGC to reunite from different parts of the world. “The ambience is why we chose RCGC as the space for our big family reunion,” smiled Arjun Dasgupta, who gathered at RCGC with family from Singapore, Germany, Kenya and India! Similarly, Lakshmi Narayanan welcomed his children and grandchildren home from Hyderabad. Pinaki Mitra was glad to have his son return from Singapore.
It was a time for homecoming, as (left) Lakshmi Narayanan enjoyed a dance with his granddaughter, Shrestha, who was visiting from Hyderabad; and (right) Pinaki and Sharmistha Mitra welcomed their son Reet back from Singapore. ‘RCGC is our second home, and there’s no better place to celebrate Christmas than Kolkata!’ chimed Narayanan
Poddar added that this year was special, with a desire to step up, “We changed the catering to add a zing, along with music by X’tasy, which has some of the musical veterans of the city. But the best part was to keep the celebrations intimate, centred around members and their guests.”
X’tasy filled the RCGC grounds with tunes of Feliz Navidad and Jingle Bells, as attendees swayed gently to the Christmas spirit. People were so engaged that soon the band had to entertain requests of old classics like I Want to Break Free and Country Roads.
‘RCGC is one of my favourite venues to perform at, because the people here are very receptive, and know how to enjoy music,’ said Jeffrey Rikh, the vocalist of X’tasy
The vibe was so enjoyable that the band kept playing well after lunch-time, with unending requests for ‘one last song’, as conversations continued brewing until it was almost evening. The event defined the spirit of Christmas: food and family!
