All for a cause at the KIWC Charity Christmas Market

Kolkata is already soaking in the Yuletide spirit. The first of many Christmas bazaars in Kolkata took place on the last Saturday of November, organised by the Kolkata International Women’s Club (KIWC) and hosted by the British Deputy High Commission at its Alipore address

The KIWC team poses for a click. “KIWC is a social community for women with foreign passports, living in Kolkata. The club hosts events, cultural tour and festival-centric programmes that help them get settled in the city and our biggest event is the annual Monsoon Ball fund-raiser,” shared Bridget Vaswani, secretary and head of charities, KIWC

Ho ho ho, here comes Santa Claus! Santa was played by the Australian consul-general Rowan Ainsworth, who said she “enjoyed the chaos of Santa being mobbed by enthusiastic and delighted children”

(L-R) Shannon Jhunjhunwala, president of KIWC, Rowan ‘Santa’ Ainsworth, Karita Low, wife of the British Deputy High Commissioner in Kolkata and Bridget Vaswani, secretary and head of charities, KIWC

Hand-painted wooden reindeer and Santa decorations for the Christmas tree were one of the best-sellers at Artisans Rose, a decor and furniture brand from Jodhpur

Stalls by Calcutta Rescue and Responsible Charity

Pizzas from Italian dine den Sorano, artisanal cheese from Living Free, mulled wine from The Glenburn Penthouse, grills from Smoked Foods and dessert from The Fat Little Penguin… the Christmas Market served a few of our favourite brands

Amar Khamar works closely with farmers in Bengal, mostly women, to bring to the table indigenous rice varieties, pulses, spices, honey and ghee. One of their biggest city champions is Kolkata’s Sienna Cafe

Christmas cards made by children from Basha, one of the charities that KIWC supports

After the bazaar ended at 5pm, it was time for the after-party. Chaitown Creatives, a Kolkata-based platform for young artistes, provided the background score while beers did the rounds