The powerazzi sits down to table talk

Unlike the class-room like atmosphere at the PM’s dining table, the rest of the tables were far more relaxed. When Nita Ambani was told that she could leave her purse on the table where she was seated, she asked, “Are you sure?” A senior CEO standing next to her said, “I am sure that it’s quite safe here.”

The finance minister was seated with a bevy of ladies, including Nita Ambani, Mallika Srinivasan and Rajshree Birla. Their conversation covered a range of topics from the rise of the salwar-kameez in the south, to whether the FM wore dhotis when he went abroad.

Rahul Bajaj was his usual gregarious self and refused to be pinned down to one table, constantly greeting and jesting with the rest of the swish set in there.

Anand Mahindra, who looked his dapper self, spent much time with Prithviraj Chauhan, who was quite amused by the fact that none of the tables had a placard bearing his name. When told it was an over-sight, he said, “Never mind. I was just worried that I won’t get any dinner.”

Plenty of conversation was in Tamil, given that the Vaghuls, the Ramadorais, the Rangarajans, the Srinivasans and the Chidambarams all speak the language fluently.

But the highlight of the evening was when Kokilaben walked up three flights of stairs into the dinner area as she personally wanted to excuse herself from the PM’s dinner to spend time with the family. The entry of the matriarch saw the PM rise to shake her hand and accept her apologies.

Mukesh Ambani and Kumar Mangalam Birla hit it off immediately. The elder Ambani invited Mr Birla and his wife Neerja for dinner some time soon. “Gharpeyi khana khayenge,” he told Mr Birla. With Rajashree Birla, Mukesh Ambani was all grace. He enquired about her health and suggested that the area near Carmichael Road was excellent for a walk.