Photos by Janet Silvera
LEFT: There could be nothing more exciting for birthday girl, attorney-at-law, Nicole Allen, (centre) than to spend her special day with sister, Janice Allen, of Jamaica Tourist Board and better half, Troy Cotton. The three were at the Dadlanis' party. RIGHT: (From left) The quiet and unassuming matriarch of the Dadlani family, Jyoti, chats with Sarju Jagwani and Rajni Mohinani.

WESTERN BUREAU:

The quiet Mango Walk community, in Montego Bay, was stirred by harmony, melody, rhythm and chatter, which resonated off the imposing wall encasing Indru and Jyoti Dadlani's residence.

At 4:00 p.m. Sunday evening, the Christmas Eve party put on by the trio - who have mastered the art of entertaining celebrities, Aroon Dadlani, wife, Racquel and brother, Dinesh - had just about eased into, first gear.

It took less than an hour for this soiree to move two notches up to third gear, declaring early in the game that this event would compete in the 'crème de la crème for 2006.'

The reverberation of the live band 'Sound Energy' complemented by a host of instruments including a flat-bodied stringed instrument dressed with a long fretted neck and six strings and the incredibly beautiful voice of lead singer, 'Marisko', was the key that unlocked the door to this giant of parties.

Homely atmosphere

In the true spirit of Christmas, those who left their home on Sunday were easily engrossed in the 'home-sweet-home' atmosphere that the Dadlanis effortlessly afforded. Outdoing themselves with the delectable presentation of fare, the family, known traditionally for their ability to hosts, titillated the taste buds with Jamaican delicacies of jumbo shrimp, potato and chicken samosas for starters.

For entrée, they selected suckling pig, curried goat, barbecued chicken, ham, curried vegetables, rice and peas, roasted breadfruit and cheesy delicious pasta. To top this celebration of great food, fine wine and premium liquor, a decadent sampling of chocolate cake, sour sop, mango, coconut and strawberry cheesecakes were 'sinfully' served.

The likes of Gobind and Rajni Mohinani; Sarju Jagwani; Veena Chandiramani; Sunil and Sheila Khiatani; Nicole and Janice Allen and Troy Cotton; Michelle and Andy Daswani; Bernadette and Kendal Dunn; Candace Hart; Kathy, Lauren, Linda, Winston, Denise and Ian Dear; Gobind and Yoli Mahtani; Joanna and Bertram Saulter; Dr. Tony and Dorothy Vendryes; Asha and Joey Issa; Bobby Chandiram; Allan Daswani; Howard Levy; Raj Kumar and Lata Sablani; Tony and Sheila Hart; Chris Blackwell; Pastor Richard Keene; Mark and Paula Kerr-Jarrett; Peter Bovell; Michelle Bovell; Usha and Ranjeet Mahtani; Eddie Azan and Christine Marzouca all found time to mingle.