Ritu’s party for the Padma

Padma party: The grand dame of Indian fashion, Ritu Kumar, hosted a lunch on the lawns of her enchanting home on the outskirts of Delhi on Sunday afternoon.
The small, private do was for her having got the Padma Shri. And as she does with her designs, Ritu had every last detail in place. This is perhaps one of the last dos we can have in the sun this season, and Ritu took full advantage of it – there was a kite-tail in the air, ghodi-dancers at the entrance, colourful tree hangings, live music… Ritu’s love for old ditties was evident, as the songs varied from ABBA to Geeta Dutt and Harry Belafonte.And we noticed how Ritu’s husband Shashi, though he graciously kept to the background, couldn’t resist one quick jig all by himself.
Munchies: By the time the guests began sauntering in, there was a full-fledged Kashmiri wazwan simmering away to one side. Perhaps it was the homely atmosphere, or the freedom of being among friends, but no one waited for lunch to be announced. Over lunch, Rina and Raseel parried over how much it costs to maintain a pretty home these days, Shashi brought out one of the Kumars’ pets, which immediately took to Rohit Bal, and everyone stuffed themselves to drowsiness in the spring sun.