Real estate tycoon K.P. Singh’s birthday bash took place Nov. 15 at Jagmandir, an island on Lake Pichola, Udaipur, and it was a night to remember.
On Nov. 14, there was a strong buzz that Colombian pop star Shakira would be coming to India, but that she wouldn’t be performing at the party, instead preferring to meet adolescent girls from impoverished parts of Udaipur as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador instead.
However, the buzz came to naught: the party started at 8 p.m. with Pakistani singer Adnan Sami’s performance, and was hosted by the dapper Kabir Bedi. Shakira took the stage at 9 p.m. Dressed in a golden top, she stole the crowd’s attention with her opening remark, “I love Udaipur and this is my second visit to the city. I think this is the most beautiful city in the world.”
She greeted everyone with a “Namaste,” and after offering Happy Birthday wishes to Singh, she enthralled the guests at the party with her sizzling performance.
A source present there told the Times of India, “She was absolutely fantastic. She performed for almost an hour and sang numbers like ‘Hips Don’t Lie.’ ‘Waka Waka’ was of course her finale performance. And there were no Bollywood stars on stage.”
The luxe party had a 400-strong guest list, and included top names from the corporate and social worlds. “It was a friends-and-family evening with names like Sunil Bharti Mittal, Pawan Munjal and Rahul Rana in attendance,” said our source.
Special duck-shaped boats were brought in from Mumbai which were floating on Lake Pichola and during the party, dancers were seen grooving on the boats. Most of the guests stayed back for the farewell lunch that was organized on Nov. 16 morning.
Says the source, “Five events had been organized for Singh’s 80th birthday celebrations, including a dinner at KP’s residence, a Bollywood night at the golf course, the book launch in Delhi, the performance at Udaipur and then the brunch on Wednesday morning. It was great week for the guests.”This is Shakira’s second visit to India, having performed in Mumbai in 2007.