The International Women’s Day, now celebrated on the 8th of March each year was originally called the International Working Women’s Day and did not have a specific date till about 1914.
The day was originally intended to promote equal rights for women especially suffrage rights.
Today, it is an entirely different celebration mostly coupled with commerce. While I don’t see the harm in that – everyone deserves to be happy – I do find most events around this day to be starkly lacking in strategy to promote women and the things we do. I’ve clipped my nails too short so my fingers are in a bit of pain. That’s a relevant problem to solve for women. What length to keep our nails so our fingers don’t hurt.
Most events are beautifully curated with stunning decor, beauty-focused booths for manicures, nail decorations, fragrance and even harmless indulgences like Tarot card readings and Hogwarts-nostalgia-inducing coffee-cup readings. And this one at DLF Emprio was stunning in those details and I felt rather lucky to be invited.
The bright sunlight and blue skies were especially inviting but apart from exactly three people – a hardworking boy, a very smart and sexy girl in polka dots and an awesome short-haired hot-Chef girl – I failed to have a meaningful word with anyone else. It was the usual Delhi crowd descending on the freebies and the very-sadly-limited Setz menu. No sushi ( Set’z is known for their Sushi)! The dimsums were spectacular. The service could not keep up with the ladies’ appetites.
The shade umbrellas were thoughtfully present to save the ladies from a remarkably hot sun but most of them were occupied – from start to finish – by the same set of ladies who took dimsums plate after plate and refused to leave the chairs for the less fortunate. I was standing in the blazing sun and stalking the dimsum service waiter right at the entrance to the terrace.
“Luxury is being able to drink beer at a wine-only brunch.” Couldn’t use that line at this brunch though.
A couple of men were seen sneaking in with their wives, quickly grabbing a bite ( I lie, it was shovelling ) and a drink or two and then coming back for seconds and thirds, emerging from cooler corners of the venue.
Despite the heat, rolling beads of sweat on their faces, and the horde of ladies ( who doesn’t want to be invited to a DLF Emporio event! ), the service staff at Set’z kept their patience.
I wish there was more substance to a brunch celebrating the International Women’s Day. Of course there’s, “Everyday is Women’s Day!” but that makes many things pointless across the board. No shortage of style though. Full marks for that. ( The nail artist was fabulous – she was drawing teeny tiny leaves on a lady’s finger nails – insane precision. ) Don’t know if any women got empowered or what the point of the whole exercise was.
The keepsies / goodie bag was a miss at this brunch – sugar and vouchers. The Bvlgari fragrance tester though was the best tiny bit in the entire bag. And there were two or three categories of bags as far as I could tell. For two or three different categories of women who had been invited. I suppose atleast they celebrated all the women regardless of categories.
Doing this brunch a couple of days before the 8th of March was a brilliant move – enough time for stories to go out and get published right on Women’s Day.
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4 comments
True I liked the event and set up, not to forget food was great ! But when it comes to discriminating between VIPs and rest, I don’t get it. It hasn’t happened only once, I recently went to another event organized by same agency , where I was asked to “Make Space” for another set of guests ! I had never felt so humiliated in my entire life, as if I was not invited..
Shalini I’m so sorry to hear about your experience. That’s appalling. During my early days I didn’t know better and now that I do, I can spot it from a mile. It’s quite unfortunate, such treatment. Some brands & agencies want coverage, hence they want to invite us but then dislike it when we show up – thankfully it’s with a handful of clients / agencies only and most have really picked up their game. Repeatedly. The good thing is that we, bloggers, get to talk about it amongst ourselves and word travels fast. Let’s exchange notes next time we meet.
love the photos of the event . u really captured the spririt of womens day.was there too . paintings on display were courtesy my gallery artspeaks india . there were some “women of substance” who attended including serious contemporary artists, film makers of award winning documentaries,poets , reps of ngo s , heads of corporations and bankers .poets,golf administrators and proffessionals.
Hi Ashwini, thank you for the kind words about my photos. And my loss that I didn’t meet any of the ladies – which was kind of what I was trying to say – I have no doubt that the ladies present were achievers but maybe something could’ve been done to make us aware of them?
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