Living Local,Doing Global

The festive calender in India just got more crowded. The new entrants are the foreign festivals,from Thanksgiving to St Patrick’s Day. While Dussehra will be celebrated today,preparations are on for Diwali as well as Halloween that come at the end of October. Oktoberfest,last month,had dedicated parties across the NCR,from Route 04 in Khan Market to Rockman’s Beer Island in Gurgaon and Hard Rock Cafe in Saket. “The situation is different from what it was twenty years back. Indians are in the know of festivals which happen all over the world ,” says Sandeepan Bose,Food and Beverage Manager of Fortune Select Excalibur hotel in Gurgaon. He adds,“These events have a variety of exotic food and since it is a promotional event for most of the hotels,the prices are not exorbitant.” The hotel is planning a Halloween event later this month. The blueprint for a special décor is being sketched and the menu will focus on pumpkin dishes.

While the spending power of the Indian youth has hugely contributed to the increasing popularity of foreign festivals,Amit Jauli,food and beverage manager at Trident,Nariman Point,Mumbai,says that the starting point was probably the influx of expats in India. “Hotels like ours have an international clientèle and it was important for us to acknowledge the larger international festivities. Four years ago,we decided to have annual Oktoberfest celebrations,” says Jauli.

For the party-hoppers,meanwhile,these provide another reason to cheer. “Indians love the bonhomie and the foreign element is an extra incentive,” says Singh,who is a regular at TLR. Apart from Oktoberfest,the cafe also celebrates St Patrick’s Day,Thanksgiving and Halloween. “Thanksgiving will spread over three days,November 24 to 26. An American band will perform and we will serve Turkey dishes and American beer,” says Harsh Chaturvedi,events and marketing manager at TLR.

He adds,“There will be foreigners,but most of our guests at these events are Indian.”

Bose,meanwhile,is working on popularising lesser-known festivals as well. “The Cake Mixing festival,which is a traditional pre-Christmas festival,held in October,last year,was a big hit,” says Bose,recalling how he had a small crowd of excited people,with huge containers and ladles,mixing batter near the pool.

Not all festivities work for India though. After the star-studded hit movie,Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara,introduced Indians to the Spanish Tomatina festival,several attempts were made to replicate it in India,but the response was dismissive. After all tomatoes,the key ingredient in the festivities,are rather expensive in India. “People were ready to pay and attend for experience,but the brouhaha made us pull back,” says one of the members of the organising committee for the Tomatina Festival that was held at Mumbai’s Tulip Star Hotel,last month. The guests finally had to make do with water.

For now,shopping is on for Halloween. In another week,stores in Khan market will have masks,devil-horns and pitchforks,along with all the other paraphernalia required to celebrate the festival.