I happened to arrive in Tehran on August 15, and went along to the glittering Independence Day reception in the gardens of the Indian ambassador's palatial villa. Iranian dignitaries and military top brass arrived at the dot of 6 pm and, following what seems to be an unwritten code, departed about 40 minutes later, when Tehran's Page Three People began to stream in. We could have been back in the days of the Shah: the women, who discarded the hejab as soon as they entered the embassy gates, sported blonde highlights in their hair, little black dresses and serious jewellery; they lit up cigarettes, pecked cheeks, and dug into the biryani and gajar halwa with gusto. I was intrigued to see three women sporting bandages over their noses, until someone told me that cosmetic surgery is the rage in Tehran and nose jobs are to be flaunted.
