For a night, the Grand Hyatt's main ballroom was transformed into a time-machine, transporting guests at the Rotary Club of Wan Chai's annual ball back to the age of the maharajas and maharanis.
Ballgoers, some dressed in outrageously extravagant Indian costumes, stepped into a room designed to evoke memories of ancient palaces, but with a modern twist.
Naturally, the entertainment had an Indian theme, with dancers from the City Contemporary Dance Company gyrating to a techno bhangra beat, while swathed in funky saris. A troupe of modern dancers from the Rani Asra School of Dance in Tsim Sha Tsui also strutted their stuff, followed by a mellow musical performance from a father-son-daughter trio, who played the tables, harmonium and sang.
David Ganesh Sarju, the club's president-elect and chairman of the ball committee, said the event took only three months to organise. 'It did what we wanted it to do, which was relive the histories of the maharajas and maharanis of ancient India,' Sarju said. 'It was able to give us a taste of the lifestyle the maharajas and maharanis would be experiencing. It's like being invited to a palace, with dignitaries being shown what we have to offer.'
The club raised nearly $300,000 for charity. About 350 people attended, including Consul-General of India Basant K. Gupta and V.J. Casshyap, Air India's Asia-Pacific regional managing director.
The performers' costumes were created by Indian designer J.J. Valaya, a break from tradition, when they were made by female prison inmates. Still, dignitaries including Benny Ng Ching-kwok, the former commissioner of the Correctional Services Department, and the current commissioner, Kelvin Pang Sung-yuen, turned out for the party.
