KATHMANDU: The evening was cool and ‘friendly’ at Residence de France, Bishalnagar, on November 15. If you were among the early birds, you got to see who’s who trickling in one by one for the annual Beaujolais Nouveau wine tasting occasion, hosted by Gilles-Henry Garault, Ambassador of France and Alliance Francaise.

The Ambassador himself graciously welcomed you with a cheerful smile as you made your way into the beautiful terraced lawn, where the party was — bonfires et al.

The evening was enjoyable for many reasons. Above all, however, the most enjoyable was the diversity among the approximately 500 people gathered there, which included politicians, diplomats, business bastions, civil society members, artists, musicians, senior journalists, noted professionals, among many others. Ambassador Garault hurriedly shared, “It’s a melting pot of friends.

The diversity is very good.

It is also a wonderful opportunity for me to meet a lot of people.”

Some people seemed so happy that they were hardly seen without a smile on their faces. The food served also was also, no doubt, an attraction, especially for non-vegetarians. However, the lazy-snail-paced queue was quite a hiccup for some. Some ‘line-cuts’ were also successfully attempted by a few quick ones.

All in all, nevertheless, the cheery crowd and the evening’s classical colour lent by Sur Sudha’s soulful music, kept you peaceful, happy and friendly.