HEARTS, CLUBS, AND DIAMONDS IN SPADES FOR CHENNAI, THIS DEEPAVALI

 They may not be as famous or flashy as their counter parts in, say ,  Mumbai or Delhi, but taash parties in Chennai during the run-up to  Deepavali are becoming quite popular, and snagging an invite to them  is a sign of your having arrived on the social scene.As much as these parties are about cards and winning hands, they are also about gossip sessions at each table, food and drinks, bonhomie and banter, and occasions to make a sartorial statement  that screams Indian and ethnic. As jewellery designer and socialite Minnie Menon puts it, “From those who have gambling in their blood to those who've picked up  lessons in card games so as not to be wall flowers, taash parties in Chennai have a happy mix of elements for everyone.“ Once considered the preserve of north Indians in the city , who confer amongst themselves to ensure that the party dates are worked out well in advance and no two important parties clash, taash parties these days see a fair bit of local par icipation too.  Chennai Times tells you what's on the cards at these parties CATCHING UP: “There are at east 10-15 big taash parties in the city,“ says PR consultant Sunita Suresh, who has attended three already and is now making plans or the fourth. Apart from mixed groups, there are card parties that are hosted for only women and no male is allowed entry into them, not even as bartenders! Such is the craze for these card parties that, as Minnie shares, here are men and women who go n for crash courses to learn the  basics of card playing. For those who can't get enough of one party , there's a new trend of taash-party hopping. “In any case,  card parties go on till the small hours of the morn ing and most people have no clue about how long they've been at it. Their only cue to leave is perhaps when the host hits the sack,“  laughs fashion designer Arti Bagdy , whose card parties are  much looked forward to TABLES: Typically , card parties have anywhere between two and eight tables.You have tables for each category of card players: those that want to play safe; the ones who have all eyes on the deck and  keep upping the stakes with each round; and those who play to just stay in the mood of the day. “In Chennai, the stakes are seldom very high because the emphasis is more on having fun rather than making a pile,“ says Minnie. “ Also here, when a person  is on a winning streak, he doesn't get up and quit the game. He hangs in there so that his partner has as good a chance as  him to luck out. You don't see that kind of consideration in parties  elsewhere,“ she adds. FOOD: At entrepreneur Pooja Gupta's recent taash party , there were live food counters that had guests scurrying from the pasta station to the Thai food stop, making a halt at the barbecue counter and then helping themselves to a serving of good ole comfort food biryani. “Food is a big compo nent of taaash parties,“ says Arti, who has Marwari chefs flown in to ensure that guests are served authentic  north Indian and Rajasthani dishes. ALL DRESSED UP: Hot pink read one recent taash-party invite, and yellow-white and -gold said another, but the bot tom line is that guests are expected to be attired in Indian clothes. “In keeping with the glitter and  razzmatazz associated with the festival, card parties are where women bring on the bling and the men, not to be outdone, opt  for traditional Indian clothes in bright colours and a designer touch or three. Arti says this is the time of the year that she is flooded with orders for fusion Indian wear. Purba Dutt Times city 16 Oct 14