The theme for this Puja was ‘lotus’- I’ll be honest here, despite being a beautiful flower and I’m fighting my patriotic gene while saying this- it is, very unimaginative. So I sought to create something spectacular and re-imagined the theme, keeping the elements to where the flower is found, its colour and texture as the predominant feature.
The result was a fabulous contemporary take on the ‘lotus’- in the form of a pink and white space, with clean lines and lots of beautiful details.
The biggest challenge in the space was creating something fantastic in the large pre function areas of the Hyatt in Delhi. We treated each one as a prelude to the main space, and worked with water-bodies (we had four of them!), jaalis and installations to make them as spectacular as the spaces they were leading to.
Unaffected by the oval shape of the main ballroom, we created semi-circular fabric draped walls which naturally culminated into the gorgeous stage- inspired by the Puttaparthi temple in Andra Pradesh.
In an attempt to create something different, we completely did away with banquet tables. Layers of metal were beaten to create the shape of a lotus leaf from which rose tinted chrome lotuses ‘grew’ to form the centerpiece. The long tables were made of jaalis that created a beautiful lotus pattern on the floor. All set against the gorgeous mogra covered walls which not only looked beautiful, but also smelled divine.
Venue: Grand Hyatt, Delhi
Furniture and Rentals: Rama Tent House.
Structure and Technicals: Scoop
Florals: Saini Flora
Photo: Humayun Khan