In my column for Goa Plus (Times of India) called "The Wedding Planner",
written in January 2003, I had spoken about a fictional entrepreneur friend
called Michael who arranged for wedding guests to suit any occasion.
--- quote from column ---
" Hello! Trevor. Hello? How many? I think two couples will be just right.
" There see again. There's a wedding at Mapusa where there isn't a single
foreigner present. How boring. How can you have a wedding in Goa without
the obligatory few whites? What will the guests say? I'm despatching two
European couples to add some colour to the occasion."
--- unquote ---
Interestingly Eddie Fernandes GoaUK Newsletter has a link to an article
that speaks of a similar service where some entrepreneur specialises in
supplying foreigner guests to 'colour' up weddings. Ha!
-----
http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=163152
Foreigners wanted as hostesses
Agents convince foreigners to attend parties and weddings for cash
Monica Mercer
Mumbai, December 27: IT takes all kinds to make the anniversary bash of a
newsmagazine a success: Big-time advertisers, Rakhi Sawant grinding it up,
and girls with blonde hair.
Spotted at the recent Mumbai event, the foreigners certainly added a
''touch of glamour,'' as their agent put it.
Annabell Paul (34) has been running her company, Annabell's Productions,
for 10 years. ''Bollywood's like my baby,'' Paul said, referring to her
faithful moneymaker whose use of foreign models, dancers and extras has
been par for the course.
But recently, Paul said she can't begin to count how many corporate parties
and even private weddings have started to request the simple presence of
foreign faces, creating an entirely new source of income for ''foreign
coordinators'' like Paul and, in extreme cases, a skill-free, off-the-books
career for long-term tourists.
Mumbai corporate events planner Deepak Jagtiani (35) said it's always been
normal to bring in professional foreigners with work permits such as dancers.
''The new trend is getting a foreign girl just to show up at a party,'' he
said, adding there is a new generation of agents in Mumbai who make a good
living running ''two-bit'' businesses from their homes or cell phones,
providing foreign faces whenever an event planner or company calls.
''I do these weddings like every other day,'' said Paul, whose
higher-profile corporate jobs have included providing foreign hostesses for
the Kingfisher launch party in Mumbai and the Samsung Awards in Chennai.
Her last job was on Saturday, for a 1,500-person wedding party thrown by
diamond merchants in Surat where two foreign girls greeted guests and said
'Namaste' while decked out in saris and bangles.
''The environment here is unlike anywhere else in the world,'' said Warren
D'Souza (30) of Starlight Model Management, almost laughing in disbelief.
''Try finding the same situation in Africa or China.''
According to D'Souza, the landscape of the corporate party season was
different six years ago.
''Earlier, I would get requests for Indian hostesses at parties, but now
it's all about the foreign girls serving tequila shots or just looking
good. The mentality is that if a foreign girl attends, it will definitely
be a good time.''
And according to D'Souza, the foreigner is always paid more: An Indian girl
passing around shots commands a maximum of Rs 1,500 for the night, while a
foreign girl can get up to Rs 5,000 if she works the party circuit
full-time. Agents usually take 25 per cent of each fee.
Professional party-goers like 29-year-olds Talullah Strachan from New
Zealand and Leonie LeMastre from Scotland have no qualms about sustaining
themselves as full-time foreign faces while commanding fees like Rs 3,000
for attending the anniversary party.
A three-week trip turned into a two-year lifestyle for the tall, model-like
Strachan, who described her career as ''getting paid to drink other
people's wine''. Far from what people might call exploitation, Strachan
said it's an innocuous way to make money so she never has to return to New
Zealand.
Adds LeMastre, who is currently in a teacher-training course but depends on
the money to live in Mumbai: ''We basically do nothing at these parties.''
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| Goa - 2005 Santosh Trophy Champions |
| |
| Support Soccer Activities at the grassroots in our villages |
| Vacationing in Goa this year-end - Carry and distribute Soccer Balls |
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