Take a page out of Sanjay Garg's black book while planning your Diwali party

What Sanjay Garg, the founder of design label Raw Mango, is known for—besides his stunningly subdued handlooms—are his absolutely divine parties. While his life’s passion is his design, he finds it personally fulfilling to plan and execute the perfect soiree. “It’s actually a thing,” he says. His parties are almost always fiercely private affairs and don’t always make it onto social media feeds—but those who know just know.

Garg’s design aesthetic is a study in understated luxury. In Raw Mango's soft silks and cottons, you’ll find an unexpected splash of lush, rich colour. Planned drama, so to speak. And it’s almost as if his events follow suit. Flamboyant beds of flowers and mysterious snake charmers mix with tiny fragrant mogras, pristine white bolsters and gentle tea candles. His latest indulgence? Arranging outdoor movie screenings under the stars for his friends, complete with popcorn and surround sound. These movie nights, like many of his parties, take place in Ansal Villas—his one-storey home (which also doubles as the designer's workspace and a Raw Mango showroom)  with a charming quad, a vision in white located in Angoori Badi farm in Chhatarpur, New Delhi.

On the eve of Diwali, just in time for some last-minute party planning, Garg shares the little black book of tricks that make his bashes so memorable.

The guest list

“I like to keep the numbers tight,” Garg says. “I am very particular about whom to invite for my events.” The designer's guest lists are meticulously curated based on the occasion, a mix of people to spark interesting conversations and those who would most appreciate being there to assimilate them. For formal sit-downs, Garg always outlines the seating ahead of time. “I am careful about planning guest placements keeping in mind who would be able to engage with the person sitting next to them,” he adds.

Colour palette

“I prefer naturals, largely whites. Almost every time, the ‘colours’ at my events come from the fresh flowers of the season,” says Garg. Think long tables set in pristine white with decor in splashes of bright pinks or reds, helmed by fresh floral arrangements. “One of my biggest party hits was mounds and mounds of fresh flower petals placed at the entrance—just like that. It wasn’t a rangoli or anything fancy,” the designer adds. “But over the course of the party, the footfall slowly brought the flower petals in. By the time the night ended, we had a carpet of fragrant flowers everywhere. Some of my guests loved it so much—I have pictures of them rolling around in petals, making snow angels. It was lovely.”

Party setting

Garg prefers to refrain from anything formal, especially the decor. “A lot of thought is put into things, every smallest detail is considered and designed to fit the event’s theme via my personal aesthetic,” he says. Accordingly, a classical Indian music evening warrants the masnat (shiny embroidered zari work on velvet) with bolsters, floor gaddas (again, in his trademark pristine white) and lots of fragrant mogras. A sit-down dinner will have an entirely different setting—with extensive table decor, immaculate silverware and flowers. “The one common element for me are my dear friends, the flowers,” he smiles.

Table decor

“I think a table is the focal point of a dinner, and the principal is less is more,” explains Garg, who prefers to keep things natural, organic and non-manufactured. His tables are simple affairs as such, but groan under the weight of flowers and candles placed throughout. Don’t expect an Indian meal with marigolds. With Garg, it’s all about careful chaos—as long as it’s fresh and seasonal.

Menus

“I'm not into fusion food,” says Garg. “Food at my parties is either Indian, from various parts of the country, or deliberately international—but never fusion.” As an exacting host, Garg is very specific about planning his menus well in advance and also ensures he knows the way in which the meals will be plated and presented to his guests.

Lighting

Garg’s party staple is low-lighting via diyas and candles, think the gentle flicker of tea lights and other assorted naturally coloured, non-fragrant candles. “I prefer my party lighting to be at a bare minimum during my evening events. For the day, it’s always natural light,” he asserts.

Music

“I have a very wide range of preferred musical genres and I like to personally curate music for each of my events,” says Garg. And, while his parties start easy and smooth, there is a compulsory dramatic shift before the night ends.

A touch of surprise

“I like to have a quirky element of surprise at specific events,” smiles Garg. It is these little touches that go a long way in making guests feel special. For Garg, it is at times a classical music evening that transitions into disco; at others, new age music moves to Bihari, Telugu or Bhojpuri tunes. Then there are the snake charmers or Bihu dancers that appear out of nowhere and entertain (or often enthrall) his guests. The “heaven” is in the details, really.

Also read:

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