DUBAI // Celebrities, diplomats and businessmen are on the guest list for the three-day wedding celebrations of the Indian parliamentarian Shashi Tharoor and the Dubai socialite Sunanda Pushkar. Mr Tharoor, 54, arrived in Dubai at the weekend after attending a conference in Hamburg, Germany. He joined Ms Pushkar, 45, who has been in the city handling final preparations for the celebrations.
The couple were married last week in a traditional ceremony at Mr Tharoor's ancestral home in Kerala. The modest wedding was attended by family members only. Extended celebrations were saved for Dubai, where a series of parties and functions will be held in the coming days. A guest list of more than 150 people is expected, with nearly half flying in from India. Events began yesterday with a traditional mehndi and sangeet ceremony (henna application and singing) at the private villa of Prakash Bhojwani, a Dubai-based businessman. Mr Bhojwani is a close friend of the couple and is putting together the entire event for them at his home in Al Safa.
A traditional Kashmiri wedding ceremony will take place at his residence at 3pm today. It will be followed by a grand reception tomorrow night. "Both [Mr Tharoor and Ms Pushkar] are in Dubai now and are excited about the coming days. All the functions will be held at the private villa," said a source close to the family. A number of Bollywood celebrities are expected to attend. The veteran actor Anupam Kher confirmed yesterday on Twitter he would be travelling to the UAE. "Flying to Dubai for a motivational lecture and Mr Tharoor and Sunanda Pushkar's Kashmiri wedding. Looking forward to it and to Kashmiri food," he wrote.
Ms Pushkar will wear a designer sari for today's traditional Kashmiri ceremony. Her clothes for the wedding reception were designed by the Dubai-based Indian designer Anjali Chandiramani of A&H Creations and Vastra Creations. The couple ended months of speculation about their relationship with their wedding last week. This is the third marriage for both. Mr Tharoor resigned as Indian minister of state for external affairs amid allegations Ms Pushkar had received a free stake in an Indian Premier League cricket franchise.
@Email:pmenon@thenational.ae