Action-packed weekend at the races
With the chill making a return to the city, the time is just right for the races hotting up.
Royal Calcutta Turf Club (RCTC) will see two days of back-to-back racing excitement this weekend. “We have two top races this weekend. With the weather holding up and winter coming back, we are hoping for an exceptional weekend,” said Jayant Jaipal Singh, the CEO of RCTC.
Eight races are lined up on Saturday. The action begins at 12.45pm but the feature race of the day, the Police Commissioner Trophy organised in association with The Telegraph, is scheduled for 2.45pm.
The Police Commissioner Trophy, traditionally a part of the winter races, draws the who’s who of Calcutta to the stands as they turn out in their fashionable best to cheer contenders, place bets and enjoy a day out in the winter sun.
Nine horses will run a distance of 1200 metres to vie for the Police Commissioner Trophy, a class II race. The trophy and the prize money, sponsored by Diamond Beverages, will be handed over to the winner by Calcutta police commissioner R.K. Pachnanda.
“Each year, one of the races is picked for the Police Commissioner Trophy and the prize is given away by the commissioner of police,” said the race course manager and commentator, Anit Casyab.
If Saturday’s racing highlight is the Police Commissioner Trophy, Sunday belongs to The Eveready Calcutta Derby Stakes held in association with The Telegraph. It is the sixth of nine races on the cards on Sunday.
The blue-riband race of the season, the derby is also the city’s richest with a total of Rs 1 crore at stake.
The derby was to be held last Sunday but was cancelled after overnight rain had left the racetracks slushy.
The derby, which has stepped into its eighth year, has always been popular in Calcutta. This time, there will be eight participants and the top contenders are Dandified, hailed as the prince of Calcutta, and In The Spotlight, the queen of the South. The horses will be meeting on the tracks for the first time.
Adding to Sunday’s excitement is the carried-over jackpot pool of Rs 15 lakh. For those looking for entertainment beyond the races, there will be live music by the band, The Orchids, a well-stocked food court and a bar.
Rain ruins derby and day out
A damp and dull Sunday marked by more rain than the January mean saw the daytime Celsius dip five degrees below normal, keeping the holiday crowd indoors and hurrying the derby horses back to the stable to race another day.
Morning was as monsoon-like as it was misty, the combination of rain and fog making for bleak, cold-day conditions that stayed right through. The freakiness of the weather was reflected in the minimum temperature of 18.9 degrees Celsius, five notches above normal.
According to the weatherman, a difference of only 2.3 degrees between the below-normal maximum of 21.2 degrees and the above-normal minimum ensured that Calcuttans didn’t feel the difference.
What spoilt the Sunday for many was the rain. The mean rainfall in Calcutta for the whole of January is 11.7mm, but the city received 12.7mm of rain over 24 hours till 8.30am on Sunday. The rain resumed around 8 in the evening, raising the prospect of Monday being just as damp.
Nine winter races at the Royal Calcutta Turf Club, including The Eveready Calcutta Derby Stakes, were cancelled after the racetrack became too slushy to risk injury to horse and jockey. The Calcutta derby is the blue-riband race of the season, carrying a prize of around Rs 1 crore.
“The rain made the ground very soft. Had the races been held, clumps of earth would have come off, making the turf dangerous for the horses and jockeys after a few rounds. Unlike our monsoon tracks, our winter tracks are not built to handle too much rain, so we had to call it off,” Jayant Jaipal Singh, the CEO of the turf club, told Metro.
The Calcutta derby has always been a popular event in the city’s winter calendar and this year’s turnout was set to be a huge one, going by the record 23,000 crowd count at the New Year Races, in association with The Telegraph.
The postponed races, including the signature derby, have been rescheduled to January 15. “A lot of people had turned up at the turf club today as well. They returned disappointed not just because the derby was cancelled, but also for their day’s outing being spoilt by the weather,” Jaipal Singh said.
Another popular winter event, the race for the Bairds Trophy at the ARAE-FEARA Calcutta Regatta 2012, hosted by Calcutta Rowing Club in association with The Telegraph, had to be pushed back by two hours because of poor visibility.
For some, the beauty of the Dhakuria Lakes clothed in mist made up for the delay. “I reached the club around 9am and the horizon was barely visible. It is the best I have seen the lake look,” said rower S.R. Kalidas.
Amusement parks and Alipore zoo, which are usually packed on Sundays, wore a weekday look with the rain-wary crowds staying away. Zoo officials said the Sunday footfall dropped 60 per cent because of the weather.
“In January, we receive between 45,000 and 50,000 visitors on all Sundays. Today, we did not sell more than 20,000 tickets,” an official said.
Gokul Chandra Debnath, the director of the Regional Meteorological Centre in Alipore, said the weather would remain almost the same over the next 24 hours.
The forecast includes rain and fog in Calcutta and South 24-Parganas along with some other parts of the state. “There is also a warning for fog that Sagar Mela pilgrims should be cautious about,” Debnath said.
Satellite pictures showed a cyclonic circulation over Jharkhand and parts of south Bengal, which the weatherman said was bringing in moisture from the Bay of Bengal.
The moisture in the air was the reason for high humidity in the city and its suburbs.
On Sunday, minimum relative humidity was as high as 87 per cent. “Unless the moisture dissipates, Calcutta won’t have a sunny day,” a weather scientist said.
A sunny day at this time of the year usually follows a cold morning and makes way for a chilly night.
Winter had come late to the city this time, only to make up for it with a rapid descent down the Celsius charts.
Minimum temperatures were a shade above 10 degrees in the run-up to Christmas, but the chill disappeared just as fast in the last week of December with Cyclone Thane blocking the North Wind.
Do it right this 31st Nite
METRO GIVES THE LOWDOWN ON WHAT’S HIP, HAPPENING AND HOW ON THE LAST AND BIGGEST PARTY WEEKEND OF THE YEAR
Weather
Blame Cyclone Thane for last-minute changes in your year-end party wardrobe. Both New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day are likely to be warm like the previous five nights, with the minimum temperature around 18 to 19 degrees Celsius.
Where’s the party tonight?
Go party hopping with The Telegraph. Tune in to Sonu Kakkar at CC&FC, Sanober Kabir at RCGC, Karma at The Saturday Club, DJ Austin and Shiva at The Tollygunge Club, Blue Mist at DI, Shruti Pathak at Space Circle and ’80s pop diva Sharon Prabhakar at Bengal Club. At Swabhumi, experience An Evening in Paris against the backdrop of Eiffel Tower and Moulin Rouge. Bengal Rowing Club, Princeton Club, Outram Club, HHI, Spring Club, Vedic Village, Ordnance Club, Plush, Hindusthan Club, Calcutta Swimming Club, Golden Parkk, Ibiza, Afraa and Amber will also be in party mode.
If you prefer a house party
BYOB (bring your own booze) works best. Ask friends to come with their favourite tipple and set up a liquid buffet. Keep mint, lime and juices ready to mix. Steer clear of the kitchen — why bother when there’s takeaway and home delivery? Keep plenty of finger food ready to go with the spirits, and a non-messy and microwave-friendly main course like pasta.
Just the two of you? Create the mood for the midnight moment with music racy or romantic, along with candles and flowers. Mixologist Irfan Ahmed suggests champagne with fresh strawberries, or Sangria. Else, stir up a mulled wine. Here’s how to: add 5ml of lime juice to four glasses of red wine, about 15-20ml of honey, some cinnamon, cardamom and microwave for 20 seconds. Dress as you would for a night out, pyjamas are for sleeping in.
Follow the rules
Music is allowed outdoors only till 10pm, in accordance with the guidelines of Calcutta High Court. So make sure the cops don’t come calling to ask Who Let The Dogs Out?
Keep a watch on the clock and order the last of your drinks by the curfew hour of 2am or midnight, depending on where you are partying. Even if the liquor dries up, the good news is that you can keep your spirits up by dancing till the first dawn of 2012.
Dress code
The weather gods command you to pack away those woollen dresses, now! Slip into something subtly sexy. Ditch the little dresses and go the maxi way. Plunging necklines or sexy slits (never together) are bound to hot things up. If you are bored of dresses and separates seem too casual for the big night, slip into a wonderful onesie (one-piece) jumpsuit. Embrace metallic (silver or gold) because shine is the biggest trend this party season. Browse and buy at Mango, French Connection, Vizyon and Vero Moda.
Also, if there’s one thing your teeny weeny itsy bitsy glittery clutch can fit in, it has to be yummy lip gloss. If you have space left after your phone, keys and cash get in, an eye pencil would be handy as well.
Midnight moment
Seal it with a kiss in the arms of your loved one without bothering about the PDA moral police! Hug your friends. And then start SMS-ing and BBM-ing before the phone networks get jammed.
Shake your booty
Latin is in, always. And New Year’s Eve is show-off time for those who have been training in Zumba (a dance-workout programme) or Salsa or some other Latin moves. Shake your booty and show your sensuous side with some nifty hip and legwork. For those with two left feet, check out the DVDs/clips of all the latest Bolly hits and start practising.
DJ Harish promises to play Subha hone na de (Desi Boyz) at Swabhumi (picture top right) at the stroke of 12. Also expect Mr Saxobeat and Ooh la la from The Dirty Picture.
Morning after
Nurse your hangover, you don’t want to be Bradley Cooper and his Hangover (picture below) wolf pack (or do you?). Prevention is better than cure. Mixologist Irfan advises constant snacking on finger food in between drinks to slow down absorption of alcohol. Avoid too many shots and stick to the same kind of cocktail. You could do well to chase down every drink with a glass of water and avoid mixing drinks with colas. And before you go to bed, drink lots of water.
In case you have broken all these rules, don’t do the obvious and reach for coffee, which will dehydrate you further. Drink water or lots of fruit juice and pop an aspirin only if the headache’s unbearable. Eat a banana to restore potassium in your body. Eggs also help. The best cure, of course, is plenty of rest. TGIS (Thank God It’s Sunday)!
Giddy up for the races
After rocking the night on 31st, start 2012 on a gallop with the New Year races at the Royal Calcutta Turf Club, in association with The Telegraph. Going to the races on the first day of the year has long been a tradition in the city, marked by speed thrills on the course and style statements in the stands. Races begin at 12.15pm and continue till 4.15pm. Entry passes, priced at Rs 200, will be available at the club gates today and on Sunday. A food court and bar on the club lawns will take care of your New Year sip and bite. See t2 for details.
Traffic restrictions
The restrictions take effect along Park Street and adjoining areas at 5pm.
Cars will have to enter The Park from the Apeejay House gate instead of the main entrance and exit through Park Street.
Only east-bound traffic — from the JL Nehru Road crossing and headed towards Park Circus — will be allowed on Park Street.
Channels will be carved out of the carriageway with guardrails for pedestrian movement.
Traffic will be restricted on Russell Street, Free School Street, Middleton Street and Royd Street.
Parking will be allowed only on Russell Street, Middleton Row, Free School Street, Wood Street, Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Road and Little Russell Street.
Police bandobast
Around 8,000 cops will keep vigil across the city.
Plainclothes personnel will melt into the crowd near hotels, clubs, pubs, restaurants and nightclubs to keep eve-teasers and rowdies at bay.
A team will visit the party hotspots with handycams, not to play moral police but to record footage to prosecute anyone spotted harassing a woman.
Hotels and restaurants have been asked to increase the number of security personnel, including the number of women guards.
Mobile security: 30 radio flying squads, 13 heavy radio flying squads.
Helpline: 2214-3230.
