Times of India Report on Delhi Elephant Polo Match

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*[ 5 Dec, 2006 2235hrs ISTTIMES NEWS NETWORK ]*

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Food critic Rashmi Uday Singh gets a taste of polo in the city recently.

 

Flamboyant women in hats, fast horses, slow elephants and Shah Rukh Khan.

The perfect formula for a blockbuster drawing packed houses on a crisp Delhi

winter afternoon? Add a dash of royalty —Maharaja Jai Singh, Bhargavi and

Padmaja Kumari Mewar of Udaipur, spice it with Bollywood -- Saif Ali Khan,

Chunky Pandey and Arjun Rampal -- and fashion, seasoned with biggies from

the sport and corporate world and you have a masala box-office hit which

should be titled " Hats off " .

 

Adrenalin went on a royal overdrive as the polo ground overflowed. Rippling

flanks of horses gleamed in the sun and the swift " chukkas " decided the

winning team. All being cheered lustily by the gorgeous Ritu Beri in an

animal print felt hat (with long boots to match), Manya Patil Seth in wide

brimmed green one (feather, bits, bobs et al) and Payal Jauhar. Kapil Dev

and Farooq Abdullah applauded the winners.

 

Shah Rukh Khan sat on the first row, sipping mineral water and resolutely

refusing the seductive canapés (smoked salmon, camembert mousse et al served

like jewels in wooden bento boxes). However, he did interrupt his polite

conversation with the Chinese ambassador to walk up and hug the lean and

good-looking Saif Ali Khan. That is when SRK told Saif how he had hurt his

leg during shooting.

 

Elephant polo changed the pace of the game. Curly-locked Chunky Pandey led

his team against the good-looking Arjun Rampal's team. Glowing in a white

fur trimmed Bebe figure hugging shirt, the svelte Riddhima Kapoor Sahni,

celebrities from Malaysia and China took to riding the elephants, while

Nisha Singh anchored the show. Refereeing on elephant back were Kapil Dev

and Ravi Thakran, and Ritu Beri confided later that she was " excited but

nervous and almost fell off the elephant twice " . " My head is spinning with

the dizzied pace of the elephant polo, " quipped Shah Rukh while giving away

the prize to Chunky Pandey's team.

 

Whoever called Polo the game of kings and the king of games knew what he was

talking about. Every royal detail was impeccable, from the gliding liveried

waiters with the silver service, the crystal glasses to the immaculately

chilled bubbly. As the evening drew to a close, 13 women wearing Ritu Beri

hats lined up. What a grand finale... Hats off!