Ladies at lunch, chatting Durga Puja must-dos, dressed in beautiful kantha pieces by Malika’s Kantha Collection (MKC), united by the passion they feel for empowered women that are the kantha artisans that MKC works with, aligns them with the metaphor of Maa Durga. That brought alive Taj Bengal’s Sonargaon, ahead of the Pujas. With laughter and cheer, a bunch of women from all walks of life had a great time bonding over sumptuous Sonargaon thalis. t2 joined in the fun.
Odissi danseuse Dona Ganguly looked lovely in a classic black and beige signature MKC kantha sari. “This is my birthday gift from Malika. Durga Puja is really something to behold. I don’t think the scale or magnitude matches with any festivity anywhere,” smiled Dona.
Malika Dudeja Varma and Dona Ganguly twinned in black. “I was happy to twin with her in black. For both of us, black is our favourite colour and a colour of celebration,” said Malika who sported a cape and kurta with a skirt, a modern interpretation of kantha from MKC.
What the ladies said: Celebrating Puja and kantha
Shashi Mohta, pranic healerI just love what I am wearing. Look at the intricacy! I go for quite a bit of pandal-hopping. It’s holiday time and I like to chill, but work never stops, though Calcutta is in a holiday mood. So, we are all relaxing.
Gouri Basu, consultant, Ministry of Culture, Government of India I loved the Chingri Maachher Malaikari and doi. Pujo is one time I like to be in Calcutta and I host people at home. It’s all about family time. I love cooking during the Pujo. Shamlu Dudeja did a great job of rehabilitating the kantha artisans and Malika has taken it to a different level. Kantha was always there but was considered a home art. Malika has made it into high fashion.
Modhurima Sinha, director PR, East and North East, Taj Group Pujo to me is the biggest cultural carnival in the world and a feminist cultural carnival because it is about women power. We have all grown up with it. It’s the time everyone comes together, which makes it so special and thanks to the UNESCO recognition, more and more people will get to know about it, which I feel very proud of as a Calcuttan. Puja begins in Kumartuli for me and I go there at some point, two months before the Pujo.
Sucharita Basu, lawyer and chairman of CII, West BengalThe entire get-together was very well planned and the camaraderie over kantha was beautiful. This is sustainable fashion which is the need of the time and we should support artisans by buying more and passing them on to the next generation.
The ladies enjoyed the lavish Bengali lunch at Sonargaon