A thing of beauty is a joy for ever. As Laal ishq played and Deepti Gujral walked in, in her red lehnga-choli and veil, the classic colour of the Indian bride, against the backdrop of the heritage and quaint Swabhumi, on Saturday evening, time actually seemed to have stood still. Anju Modi had a smile on her face as she unveiled her ‘Shashwat’ collection on a beautiful ramp smelling of rajanigandha. As did Madhu Neotia. The India Story presented by the Neotia Arts Trust, in association with t2, was back. And, how!
Candice Pinto looked like a princess in pink
Deepti Gujral in bridal red
The lovely hairstyle made this frame oh-so-gorgeous... minimal and classic
“Everything has a connection and every story is getting completed,” Madhu later told t2. The managing trustee of Neotia Arts Trust had veteran designer Anju Modi on her wish list for a long time. And, on a chilly December evening, she warmed our hearts with her signature touch of tradition, paeans to everything Indian and aptly called ‘Shashwat’.
The models walked out of a flower-decked mandap — put together beautifully by scenographer Swarup Dutta — in ivories, beiges, purples, yellows and pinks, moving into jewel tones and metallic hues. The saris, lehngas and Anarkalis were complemented by statement jewellery from P.C. Totuka & Sons and beautiful floral hairdo and bold lips. Pretty embroidery and feminine prints bore the sign of fine craftsmanship. Lots of velvets put it in the context of a winter bride. A pashmina here and a bandhni there was Anju Modi’s tribute to the vast treasure trove called India. And, aptly at The India Story, that has celebrating India at the core.
The beautiful mandap served a perfect background to the regal clothes
How gorgeous were the ivories and sandalwood?! The touch of red on the hair added to the pristine charm
“I named it ‘Shashwat’ because you can hand it over to your next generation. My endeavour is to keep on reviving the craft and culture of our country. In our country, the culture is so beautiful. It’s eternal. Our thumris... Jamuna kinare mera gaon... so old, but still has that mesmerising quality about it. Then our textiles and colours. The wedding rituals are timeless,” Anju Modi told The Telegraph post-show, amid many congratulatory messages. We loved the whites we told her. “I love whites because it has the garima of sandalwood. It brings out the jewellery also so beautifully,” she said. “The girls will come on stage as if they are attending a beautiful wedding in Calcutta. Just the experience of being here... the audience will take ‘Shashwat’ back with them....,” Nupur Sagar, the show’s choreographer, had told us prior to the show. Post-show, with the full moon in the sky, Nupur felt “It all came together beautifully”.
Reds brought the show to a close. Madhu Neotia too was sporting red. “Madhu’s programme... it is The India Story and India is all about beautiful colours and the sindoori red. So, I thought let me finish it like that,” laughed Anju Modi.
The mood was set. Just right.
“It was a magical evening. We had the full moon to complete the ambience and the romanticism. The music was fabulous. My dream came true that Anjuji finally showed. Swarup did a brilliant job in putting together this ambience and, of course, Nupur was brilliant in choreographing this whole show. I did not expect any less...,” said Madhu Neotia, managing trustee, Neotia Arts Trust.
Harsh Neotia was trademark Harsh Neotia. Witty! “This is the most expensive weekend every year! No exception this year! I got a relief for one year... saved some pocket money!” he laughed. Did he have any tips? “The only tip and I have for myself is to keep shut and keep my wallet open,” he laughed. ROFL! Jokes apart, he had words of praise for Team TIS. “There were many challenges and they mounted it in a relatively shorter period because of the uncertainty... the response has been quite good,” he said.
“The setting was right. The clothes were interesting and then we also wanted it to gel in with the space. That really worked well. We also want to change the format of the show every year... semi-green meandering and festivity-in- the-garden kind of a feel,” said Swarup Dutta, scenographer.
Abhilasha Sethia was there with husband Sanjay Sethia. “I am overwhelmed to see the crowd and see people after a long time, enjoying the shopping and the music. I had a feeling people will come. The fashion show was beautiful with vibrant colours,” said the Neotia Arts Trust trustee.
June dropped by with daughter Shivangini. “We were back to TIS after two years. So, it was really nice. It felt good and I really liked the show... royal and classic. It was more of a wedding collection one could tell and some of the lehngas were really beautiful and especially the initial ivories and then towards the end, the reds and the crimsons,” she said.
Minu Budhia was there with Sanjay Budhia. “This marked the beginning for winter festivities. Now we feel, everything’s going to be normal. The fashion show was very good and I especially loved the colours. My favourite colour is red and the show had a lot of red. The clothes were feminine, festive and wearable,” smiled Minu.
(L-R) Sahana Bajpaie, Narayan Sinha, Nandita Palchoudhuri and Nil. “This was my first time at The India Story. Every time TIS happens, I am in London. Really nice... lots of levels... khabo aar workout korbo. We roamed around a bit, had coffee. There was a lovely display of paintings. There was a jute shop there and the farmer’s market was an absolute delight to visit. Loved it,” said Sahana. Narayan loved the Indianness about it. “When someone champions the Indian identity and portrays Indian craftsmanship the right way, sheta aamar khub pochhonder jaiga. I loved the background music. I enjoyed the warmth of the whole ambience,” he said. Nil felt that the set-up had an “old-world palace charm”. “The fashion show was something we were all looking forward to. Anju Modi being a senior designer, one always looks forward to what she has to bring in for the bridal market, the brides of the season. Hers was the classic bride and most importantly, this show was long awaited. The whole of The India Story was long awaited. This is a sign of hope and empowering for the people of Calcutta to come out in droves and get back to some kind of normalcy,” he said.
Kiran Uttam Ghosh at Swabhumi on Saturday. “A full moon accompanied by a cool breeze and a beautiful Anju Modi fashion show added to the magic of the winter evening. At a time when we’re all determined to reach the other side of this challenging period but are unsure what that looks like or how exactly we’ll get there, The India Story was not just another well presented exposition designed to showcase the best of India’s art, craftsmanship and design talent at Swabhumi heritage park in Calcutta, but after two pandemic ridden years, as a defining brand rooted in our city’s calendar with a momentum propelled by personal strength, hope and determination. True Calcutta grit…. Madhu Neotia has an effortless charm and a kind demeanour that draws you in. India Story is driven by her curiosity, strength and focus,” said Kiran.
Pictures: Pabitra Das