Taash parties have been a part of Diwali culture as much as rangoli and diyas. This year, Mumbaikars gear up once again to place their bets
Heads bent over a table, eyes shift from person to person, assessing, calculating the situation, the air is thick with tension. No—these guys are not trying to crack a code or chasing deadlines at work—they’re busy upping the stakes at teen patti, a popular game at the Diwali taash parties, which are as much a part of the festival as the rangoli and diyas. Considered to be a good way to welcome Goddess Lakshmi, celebrities and common folk alike place their bets at these parties.
Take Sajan Gupta for instance, for whom these parties have become a family tradition. “These parties start late in the night. First we perform a Lakshmi puja and then we sit down to play cards. It goes on till everyone decides they want to crash back home. It’s never ending. These days though, we end up playing a lot of poker, where you have to buy-in and the game ends when someone has all the chips. The highest stake I’ve played is Rs 10,000, last year,” he recalls.
While stakes may be low for Sachin and his friends, according to etiquette expert Chhaya Momaya, some of the highbrow parties in the city can have stakes going up to a crore. “I stay away from the card tables, so when I am invited to these parties, I usually avoid them. Anjali and Vivek Talwar (of Nitco Tiles) are known to host some legendary taash parties. They have a really nice set-up, with each room being dedicated to a single game — like bridge, roulette and so on. You have people shuttling from room to room, checking out the stakes,” recalls Chhaya.
Artist Rouble Nagi uses these parties as an excuse to meet up with friends. “I don’t play cards or host card parties, but Bollywood card parties are pretty chilled out and you get to meet all your friends under one roof,” she says. Looking back at her favourite parties, she says, “The Patrichas in South Bombay host some of the best taash parties in the city. Sachin Joshi also had a party on Friday, but I was not in the city so couldn’t attend it.”
Bollywood actress Shefali Shah is another attendee at card parties, who avoids taking part in the games. “The parties are more about meeting people and socialising with friends and family anyway; the cards are incidental,” she says. Be that as it may, the actress fondly recalls the first time that she was invited to the Bachchans card bash. “It was when my husband Vipul was directing Amitabh Bachchan in Aankhen. It was a gala affair. While I usually stay away from the tables, it’s Vipul who plays,” she says, adding that she will try to make it for their party this year as well. “Amitji’s party is high on out list,” she says.
Shefali, Rouble and Chhaya might be looking forward to meeting friends rather than bluffing their way to a pot of gold, but TV actor Hiten Tejwani, who is one of the most well-known faces of Balaji, is definitely looking to place his bets at Ekta Kapoor’s party. “I’ve invitations for a number of card parties including the one that Ekta Kapoor is hosting tonight (Saturday). I’ll be visiting if I wrap up my shoot soon as the sets are in Naigaon,” says Hiten. “Since we are always busy with shooting schedules, these parties are a great excuse for us to meet up and spend some time together. I also enjoy playing cards and the game goes on till the wee hours of the morning. Of course the stakes are small.” A lot of friends from the industry like Ram Kapoor and Karen Patel also enjoy playing cards and are known to have such parties, he adds.
Big or small, what happens to the moolah in the end According to 24-year-old Kanishk Gupta, it is usually spent on the same evening. He says, Sportsmanship is the watchword at these parties and the winners often splurge their winnings in the same night. We try not to bet too high, because that way we can play for longer.”
