(From top) Anuradha Patel, Sharon Prabhakar, Benjamin Gillani and Tom Alter

Sheila, an IT professional, was chosen to make a presentation to clients in New York. She did it immaculately but was at sea with the cutlery in the formal dinner that followed. She correctly took the fork in her left hand and the knife in her right but used the dessert spoon for the soup and the fruit fork for dining… till someone gently corrected her.

To avoid such situations, young globetrotting professionals are queuing up at finishing schools. With the information technology (IT) industry growing in the city, the number of people looking to sharpen their social skills has also gone up.

To address this demand, Richa Daga, a city-based entrepreneur, is launching finishing academy Etiquette, which will open doors in the city on August 1.

“There are many finishing schools in Delhi and Mumbai. In Calcutta, the demand for finishing schools is increasing. There are many professionals who are brilliant at their work but are often at a loss on how to conduct themselves at business meets or during assignments abroad,” said Daga, who runs SinGem, the first academy in the city to provide training on jewellery making.

Classes for the two-month etiquette course will be held twice a week at The Oberoi Grand. The course fee will be Rs 30,000 and the first batch will have 30 students.

The focus will be on personality development, international and business etiquette, cocktail and business attire, public speaking, interview skills, fine dining etiquette, party planning, make-up, skin and hair care, health and lifestyle management, self-presentation, career guidance, resumé presentation, ballroom and modern dance, posture and body language.

Apart from professionals, the applicants include brides-to-be, homemakers and models. “The brides-to-be want to groom themselves to attend social parties with their husbands. We also have people from the BPOs who want to brush up their skills before meeting clients in the US,” said Daga.

Veteran actors Anuradha Patel, Benjamin Gillani and Tom Alter and pop diva Sharon Prabhakar will take classes to help Calcuttans gain the grooming edge.

“The times have changed drastically and today it pays to look younger and polished. In fact, those who don’t look polished may lose out on many good opportunities,” said Daga.