Bollywood and Beatty

THE SOCIAL NETWORK:The Indian ambassador, Debashish Chakravarti, was on his own at the launch of the third annual Indian Film Festival of Ireland at the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin Castle on Wednesday evening.

His wife, Adity, a noted artist who has exhibited in countries around the world including Tanzania, Canada, China and Switzerland, was at their residence in Foxrock, playing host to their son, Aaditya, who was visiting.

Ambassador Chakravarti, who has been here for eight months, likes Ireland and is getting to know it better. He was here 15 years ago and toured around with the National Defence College of India. Now he’s giving tours. Last week he took a group of guests on a tour of the crypt of Christ Church Cathedral.

Minister for Arts Jimmy Deenihan launched this year’s festival, which runs from June 8th to 11th.

The director of the Chester Beatty Library, Fionnuala Croke, was being very diplomatic about her new job: “I had a great job, and I got a great job,” the former head of collections at the National Gallery of Ireland told me.

Who we spotted: Chief executive of Bollywood Ireland, Siraj Zaidi; festival organiser Cliona Buckley; John Cunningham; John Pat Colclough and Miriam Campion; stylist Sonia Molich.