Contest Time, Friends - Dinner for Americans!

Sridhar...I am touched. Thank you. But read my answer to Chitra..this is the least I can do:)

L, Kamla

Dear Ilites,

I accept the award to this contest,most humbly, in spite of a lot of veterans alongside whom I competed. My congratulations to all my co contestants,first.There were a lot of ideas to learn from each of the entries, and I'm sure it will give us new ideas to approach these events.
I would like to thank Nila,Mohana,Shal,Kamla,Meenu,Meena Prakash & Varloo individually and by name for posting congratulatory/appreciative messages on the forum.
I have to single out Chithra and Varlotti specially ,being the giants of this website, and wish to thank them personally for appreciating me.
I wish to also thank the judges, for patiently reading through a rather long entry, and deeming it fit to be the winner.
I hope this is the first of many contests to come, and will spur many more to join in the ones to follow.
Regards
Saradha

Dear Meena and Varloo,
I am very happy to learn that you come a close second to the prize-winning entry. And the panel of judges had to tear their hair literally before deciding the winner.
Honestly, ladies, I know next to nothing about the contest and I am not presumptuous enough to think I can assess the entries.
But dear friends, I am sure of one thing. To eat at the hands of the prize-winner I have to go half way across the globe. But with you two, they are much nearer
I now have two nice places to eat good food one in Ambathur and another in Mysore.
congrats,
sridhar

Dear Induslady,
I appreicate all your efforts to make this site an interesting & interactive one. It was sure fun taking part in this competition though I was pressed for time. It was another opportunity to learn, to improve, & to connect with others. thank you again.

Dear Vandhana,
I must thank you first - you are the one who kept reminding me of the contest in every mail that you wrote to me last month. thank you sweet heart!!!! I'm very happy to hear the results & more happy to have taken part in it. I've learnt a lot too from this contest.

Dear Kamla,
You are a Gem. thanks for your kind words of appreciation. Being Chitra's student, I'm now confident enough to host anything & everything. Pls do let me know when are coming down to India & leave everything else to me, madam

Dear Meenu,
You are always there to cheer everyone & I just love you for that. Your appreciation means a lot to me & thank you for being there always with your support & how can I forget the humor cards????? thank you Meenu.

Dear Sridhar,
thank you & nice to see you here tooo. sure Sridhar, with my Chitra as my Guru, I'm more than confident to playing the host - after all, I just hosted dinner for Americans & they just loved it & left me close to winning the prize. Maybe, if I host a dinner for a Maduraiite, I might win the prize straightaway. Getting a note from you is equal to winning a prize, Sridhar, thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love & regards,

Saradha,

Congrats for winning the contest...I didn't have time to go through your entry..however, next time we plan to invite westerners home for dinner, I know where to look for the necessary preparations, Will directly refer to your posting and your approach and follow it...and impress my guest beyond imagination !

Great job to all other contestants too...!

Love,
Preethi

CONGRATULATIONS!

SARADHA, VARLOO AND MEENA..all of your entries are very good..got such nice ideas from you..Thanks ..

Hearty congrats Meena and Varloo for the runner up.

Congrats to all the contestants and the winner Saradha.
Saradha, that was a wonderful write up, showed your experience in organizing a party and planning up the small details.

Oh my God! I am completely floored to know that I have runned up well. Thanks to all of you for your nice words. I was not able to log on due to domestic chores and did not know that I have been nearly selected. I am very happy that my entry was appreciated well.
I will let you all into a secret, I have never ever hosted a party so far in my life. My social life in the party sense is non existence. But when I saw the contest, I was tempted to imagine and so I entered the contest. I am very happy to know that I would have (and would -there are so many people waiting to be invited) hosted a party successfully.
I would like to give credit to our dear Chithra also, I have choses many of her recipes and also I have taken inspiration from her tips and the party she hosted for the Chennaiites. Thank you, Chithra.
Thanks, every one, for your kind words and for appreciating my entry. I am impressed by Sharada's idea of the music and dance concerts. I think that was the winning point. I congratulate her again. And dear co contestants, I am going thro the entries one by one. I shall PM you as soon as I read them.

Hello Saradha,Meena,Varloo,Kanaka,Vivbass,Gayatri,Sankas ailaja,Rajmi,
Leela,Deepa,Vandhana,

Happy Pongal to all of you and yours!

Congrats on your splendid entries. Each and very one of you is a winner. I have learnt so much from every entry.

Saradha- great planning and a deserved win. I see that your very first post in IL is the acceptance of this gift. What a rare honour! How many ILites get this previlige? Congrats again! I must say that with jalebi making demos, music and dance concerts- your dinner must be one vibrant one, more an Indian mela, a crash course in our rich culture.

Meena and Varloo- congrats on being runners up. I am sure yr entries gave the judges some tough moments.

Vandhana- great entry. In a pm, you mentioned that you deemed yr entry to be a non-competitive one. I like that spirit, more than winning, the fun is in participating. Though seeing the vase Induslady is gifting, I wldn't mind winning.

Kamla- lovely, personal notes to every participant? You have shown what grace means and means well.

Induslady- that was one good contest and another beautiful gift that you are giving.

Congrats, all of you again!

affly
Vidya