CELEBRATIONS -- 11:

NEW YEAR CELEBRATIONS AT TAJ SAVOY OOTY

BY P S SUNDAR

The celebrations to usher in 2016 in the Nilgiris bore a pail of gloom in the backdrop of hotels in Chennai announcing cancellation of gaiety following the devastating floods in November and December 2015.

Taj group of hotels confined their celebrations towards engaging their in-house guests.   “My husband, son and daughter are coming to the Nilgiris for the first time and we decided to be here for the New Year – yes, for the first time in our life.  When we booked for our stay at Taj Savoy Ooty, we did not know what was in store for our New Year celebrations.   It was a pleasant surprise that we were invited to join the hotel’s presentation for the night.   We enjoyed the get-together and the connected events.  We had a memorable experience at Taj Savoy to usher in 2016.  We fully understand the situation arising from flood devastation in Tami Nadu”, Vijayashree Venkatraman, coming from Texas, USA, told me.

FROM TEXAS, USA JUST FOR USHERING IN 2016 AT TAJ SAVOY OOTY

 (l-r) Eshwar, Chinmayi, Vijayashree & Venkatraman 

Her daughter Chinmayi Kamakotika (who has recently gradated) and son Eshwar Swaminathan (studying for engineering) were seen dancing with Indian and foreign guests with their parents encouraging them to enjoy!

This was the case with most guests as their wards, including little children, enjoying dancing.  And, there was a special musical chair contest which children enjoyed to the core.

“We confined our get-together to in-house guests and regular visitors.  We gave prizes to guests for free stay in foreign and non-Chennai destinations as well”, P Vibhakar, General Manager, Taj Savoy, said.

The dinner itself was a wide-spread.  “We have displayed the list of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes in our buffet at the entrance to the dining hall.  We have taken care to have a good spread of salads as well to balance the healthy components while ushering in the New Year”, Executive Chef Nisi Kant Panigrahi said.  

 

And, the hotel had arranged for big display of clock for the countdown and when the hands of the clock aligned to mark the birth of 2016 at midnight, it was an air of greetings everywhere, everyone wishing every other person and all hoping that 2016 will be a year of peace, progress, prosperity and pristine health – physical, mental and economic and ecological..

(response can also be sent to : pssundar.coonoor@gmail.com)