Celebrations galore as 2012 dawns in Kolkata

Kolkata: Some spent a romantic `evening in Paris` while others went for a `mysterious Egyptian night` as Kolkatans ushered in the New Year merrily wining and dining at star hotels and clubs while belly dancers gyrated to the choicest of tracks by international DJs.

People crossed the threshold through a big French gate and meander through quaint lit streets to Moulin Rouge and its iconic red windmill and watched Ukrainian belly dancers boogieing to the tunes of DJ Harish beside the `Eiffel Tower`. City`s Swabhumi Heritage Plaza took its visitors on a sojourn to Paris. "The party had been aptly titled `an evening in Paris` as we recreated the city in our hotel. All enjoyed the buffet by the poolside with unlimited wine and dine," said Samir Ghosh the manager of the club. The Park Hotel in its five venues had arranged `A Midnight Kiss`, a musical extravaganza with some known Bollywood item girls and international models sizzled in the night. Exotic Egyptian dancers danced around the pool while musicians played harps, flutes and cymbals to create a musical note melodious enough to please `Bes`, the Egyptian god of music, as the Hotel Hindusthan International welcomed the New Year with Egyptian charm. The Hyatt gave the revelers a feel of the lifestyle of the `Nawabs of Lucknow` with Awadhi food on the menu to go with classical dance and music from the Lucknow Gharana. "The Nawabs of Lucknow had been famous for their food and music and this year we decided to give a chance to experience that lifestyle to the visitors. The menu had wide variety of biriyani and kebabs. Classical dancers and musicians from Lucknow Gharana gave an enchanting performance," the festivity manager of the hotel Shantanu said. As belly dancers from Ukraine and laser butterfly dancers from New York made vivacious moves to the lilting music of international DJs, flaming bartenders juggled and served the choicest and rarest of spirits coupled with a gala buffet the Chrome hotel delivered a `smoldering and mind-boggling` New Year bash. The Royal Calcutta Golf Club with its `31st Nite` as promised, left an impression with performance from Bollywood starlet Sanober Kabir among others. Like previous year, this year too the belly dancers proved to be a major attraction with a host of hotels and clubs in city offered the opportunity to watch these dancers set the stage on fire. Dancers from around the world gyrating to the choicest selections of the finest DJs, theme parties, and vintage wine and lip-smacking food - 2012 dawned in Kolkata with style. IANS