This was one night when people indulged, and how. From a sari worn and donated by Aishwarya Rai Bachchan to a handbag donated by Trisha Krishnan, the who’s who of the city put their hands up and bid for these items — the proceeds of which would go to the 68 NGOs connected to the Joy of Giving Week.
On Saturday, The Battle of the Buffet (BOTB), an event that is becoming something of an anticipated fixture every year, saw the best of international cuisine, sponsored by the city’s top luxury hotels, match the expectations of the 3,000-strong crowd of Chennaiites who attended.
Jointly organised by Oriental Cuisines and CSIM, this year’s BOTB had all the NGOs selling tickets for the event, thus raising funds for their various causes. M Mahadevan, chairman and managing director of Oriental Cuisines said, “This was a unique opportunity for NGOs to raise money for their causes, and we would like to honour their good work.”
All the auctions and goodwill donations were an added extra for these organisations. Suhasini Maniratnam and the members of her organisation Naam paraded handbags donated by Lizzie Priyadarshan and other celebrities -- needless to say, all the Jimmy Choos and Guccis were sold after a heated auction, which was a demonstration of the spirit of competitive giving.
Considering the fact that the food came from Mahadevan’s group of restaurants as well as The Park, Courtyard by Marriott, Le Royal Meridien, The Savera and Taj Group of Hotels, among others, it goes without saying that there were a few people complaining about the `5,000 price tag. A concert by singer Srinivas and his band also made for easy listening and complemented the dining.