This Poila Baisakh, give your living space a Bangaliana makeover with Red Letter Box.
Born out of love for all things warm and homely, Red Letter Box, is a collaboration between city entrepreneurs Rijula Dutta Roy and Kakali Biswas. Just a month old, Red Letter Box is a tribute to Bangaliana with an attempt to revive Kalighat Patachitra and make it a part of our daily lives. The endeavour is also to recycle, reuse and upcycle waste from their respective clothing brands Nakshaa and Dora by Phoenix.
Speaking about their USP, Rijula Dutta Roy said: “I come from a family of painters and artists and art was something I grew up with. I have always been attracted to the Kalighat painting or Kalighat Patachitra as it is popularly known. A distinct art genre of the 19th century, this style was practised by scroll painters in the vicinity of the Kali temple in Calcutta. The art form is composed of bold lines, in vibrant colour tones and are hand drawn and usually depicts mythological stories of Hindu gods as well scenes from everyday life and society. At Red Letter Box, we have depicted the theme of Bengali Babus and Bibis, the idiosyncrasies of their lifestyle depicted through the motifs of hookahs and haath-pakhas on coffee mugs, coasters, table linens, runners, napkins.”
There’s also an exclusive section called Pujor Ghor where one can find pujo-themed coasters, trays, runners, and wall decor with paintings and embroidery in the patterns of Mongolghot, swastik, maach and so on to style the place of worship.
Reiterating her vision of responsible consumption, Kakali Biswas said: “While working and designing in our workshops, we often have small sections of varied fabric in silk, muslin, kalamkari and cotton unused. We decided to create products out of these remaining pieces. We have used traditional techniques of block printing along with kantha and embroidery to quirk up the home products. We have framed the fabrics with glass to enhance longevity and have curated them into sustainable coasters, trays and wall art.”
Coffee coasters to match the Babu and Bibi coffee mug
A brightly coloured wall hanging to lift a boring wall
Rijula Dutta Roy and Kakali Biswas
A table runner with kantha detailing will make the Poila Baisakh dinner more special
A serving tray with beautiful traditional print is a must-have to create an impression
This wall hanging is a confluence of two art forms — kantha in a painting form