FRIGATE BAY, St. Kitts – MAGNIFICENT displays of fireworks complemented a night of tasty food, good music in the company of friends, business partners and partygoers at an Indian-themed Bollywood Night held Friday night (Nov. 23) at Karma Beach Bar and Restaurant.
The event was organised by Karma in collaboration with Carib Trans. RAMS Trading Ltd. (with its retailed Baileys liquor) and St. Kitts/Nevis Carib Breweries Ltd. (with its Carib Beer brand) also partnered in the event.
A shuttle service was provided along the sand strip to take patrons to and from the venue, catering to those who had parked their vehicles a reasonable distance away.
There were some persons, however, who skipped the accommodating ride and instead took the leisurely stroll.
In the air conditioned lounge of Karma, DJ Rinka from India and DJ Jamsta from St. Kitts kept the crowd rocking as both locals and individuals of Indian descent and other ethnic backgrounds mingled at the event.
One highlight of the night was the launch of the Fusion Mas Camp ‘Kittitian Roots’ costumes.
Those who modelled the costumes were seen mingling with the guests as they showed off their vibrant Carnival ensemble while spreading some Sugar Mas love. The models became temporary waitress as they went around with serving trays with shot-glasses of Bailey.
It is said that music transcends cultures and the event proved just that. Notably, some African residential students, who were there for a birthday celebration, got wild with excitement on the outside dining area when DJ Jamster blazed the hit Indian song ‘Gundam style’.
The owner of Karma, Sunil ‘Sunny’ Gehani, told this publication that BollyWood is about songs from India, noting that the event was also about the celebration of a festival in India called Diwali.
According to him Diwali is like celebrating New Year in India.
SKNVibes also spoke with Minister of Tourism Senator Richard ‘Ricky’ Skerritt who revealed that he happened to be at the event without realising it was a special Bollywood night.
The Tourism Minister shared that the Chairman of the Veling Ltd., Uday Nayak (the main investor of the private jet terminal here on St. Kitts) had bought some potential investors (from India) with him to look at St. Kitts.
Skerritt said he happened to take the visitors to the “wonderful setting here on the beach not even realising that it was a special Bollywood Night”.
As it relates to the Carnival costumes that were displayed, Skerrit remarked, “I love them.”
“You know I’m a Carnival man”, he told this reporter. “I really thought it was a great addition to the night and the ladies carried the costumes very well. It’s good to see the local culture being integrated into what is in fact a sort of Indian cultural night.”
Acknowledging the different cultures that exist in the Federation, General Manager of RAMS Trading Ltd., Shaun Weston told this reporter that “St. Kitts has gone global”.
He was obviously pleased with the event, noting that “it’s always good to embrace different cultures”.
Speaking with this publication, RAMS Brand Manger Terrence Condor said, “Rams Trading Ltd. and Baileys are proud to partner with the owners and promoters of Karma to showcase one of our leading liquor products, Baileys, and also to showcase the costumes for the Fusion Fantasy troupe.”
Shakema Halliday, a retail clerk at Scotia Bank, was impressed by the quality of customer service and the mingling of different cultures of India and St. Kitts-Nevis.
As it relates to showcasing of the Carnival costumes at the Bollywood event, Halliday said: “I think it is fabulous and fantastic. The mere fact that a different culture would accept our culture speaks volume...”
She also complimented the performance of the waitresses who were readily available to deal with persons in attendance, including her three friends at the table where she sat.
Halliday expressed the hope that the high standards witnessed at Karma for the Bollywood Night would be continuous.
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