Dusk descended at the Leela Palace Delhi as collector and art aficionado Nina Pillai gathered together people of vintage and youthful vitality to create an evening to match the spirit of Deepawali. The Gala Evening hosted by Vivek Nair of the Leela Hotels, Air India, Nina Pillai and robust charity organizations had also the presence of British Royalty in the Duchess of York Sarah. An authoress of books a keen activist for the girl child and a host of other philanthropic works dressed in a moody indigo tulle skirt and peplum blouse she was the picture of grace. While she went around shaking hands with beautiful Indian women and savvy men it was an evening that reflected the swish of silk and the tinkle of glasses. At the far end of the opulent Banquet Hall was a large canvas waiting to be celebrated by the famed London and Dubai artist Aslam Shaikh who is known for his Picassoic horses that virtually burst through a storm of shades in colour tones. As people poured in for the heady evening Aslam Shaikh took his place and started painting live. The room was full of horse lovers and art lovers. The Duchess attended the HVR Baroda Polo Cup hosted by Asha Raje Gaekwad & Harshavardhan Reddy at Jaipur Polo Grounds Delhi in the afternoon. Hostess Nina kept the crowd awed by her eloquence and worthy causes. For anyone deeply interested in horses, and the spirit that drives them, Aslam creates a series of images and variations -- and more variations -- based on the body and facets of horses in the haunts of history. It is also an invaluable commentary on form following feeling, which highlights Aslam's powers of invention and reinvention. Think back of the tales of yore of master and horse and valour and victory, the narrative of grief in the story of Karbala and other stories are borne of an almost architectural grandeur and an emotional reality beyond realism. In the coming together of more the contours and the energy of the spirit suddenly, Aslam’s painterly fusion of Cubism's multiple viewpoints with Surrealism's embrace of the irrational enticed and recalled Picasso’s Guernica. But that formal synthesis of the Cubist idiom has been undertaken for decidedly deep spiritual purposes. Here was a white horse that leapt out of the scarlet storm. In 35 minutes the canvas was a masterpiece of energy and vitality. “I love painting horses,” said Aslam Shaikh, “I have been painting as many as 3-5 paintings a day.” Hostess Nina Pillai went onto state: “Horses are as old as civilization”. The Upanishads contain detailed descriptions of horses and cattle. The Garudapurana contains life-histories of fishes and turtles. There are also religious books dedicated to a specific animal. Nagamahdimya, Nandi-purdoa, Mayiratrahimya and Pashu-puriltia are only a few of them. A trio of musicians played golden oldies as the horse stirred in robust resonance. Hostess Nina Pillai gifted the piece de resistance of the evening to Sarah Duchess of York who gushed with pleasure and went rhapsodic. The Gala Evening was credited to distinguished Charities.