The party secrets.

[Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi]

He was good looking and gentlemanlike; he had a pleasant countenance, and easy, unaffected manners. And he was the novelist’s husband. But Niret Alva was not tempting enough to be a Mister Darcy.

One evening The Delhi Walla attended the launch of Anuja Chauhan’s novel Baaz at Lady Baga in Connaught Place.

The beautiful Ms Chauhan wore a long stylish gown the lower part of which was cut in the middle to discreetly reveal her shapely legs. But I’m in no humour at present to give consequence to the vanities of women writers when the evening saw such a fine figure of man. He was handsome. His moustache was handsomer. He was immaculately dressed in a suit, including a good-looking striped tie. Unlike most men in this city, he was extremely fit with no bulge noticed around his trim waist. What particularly turned the tide in his favor was his very condescending admission that he never carries visiting cards—even though he lives in this city of ceaseless society networking.

And more astonishment: he writes with an ink pen (see photo 7 below)!

We asked around about this enigmatic man’s antecedents. Somebody whispered that his name was Chandrashekhar Bhattacharyya (yes, double ‘y’) and that he was part of the military-minded journal Delhi Defence Review.

You ask for his phone number? Yes, I have that too. Send me your request in a handwritten letter.

Mister Darcy Sighting

1. (Anuja Chauhan)

2. (Chandrashekhar Bhattacharyya)

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4. (Niret Alva)

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