I kept leaving nights out with a sore throat and zero new people I actually wanted to see again.

Bars in this city are optimized for volume. Music, bottles, standing in a pack. You shout a name, you don't hear the answer, you go home.

The people I wanted to meet — designers, operators, people building something — weren't there. They were at home, or they were at a work dinner they couldn't leave.

So I started hosting small dinners. 8–12 seats. One table. Phones down. A seating plan so you aren't stuck next to your plus-one all night.

The first one was awkward for about twelve minutes. Then it wasn't. Two people at that table still work together. That's the whole point.

If you want a night out that isn't a performance, a long table with strangers who can hold a conversation still beats another Bandra Saturday.

That's what Candlelit is. Mumbai. One table at a time.