For this Durga Puja, The Telegraph shot an exclusive contemporised traditional lookbook with muse Rituparna Sengupta. Our location? The over 150-year-old Rajkrishna Bhavan at Kapalitala Lane in Bhaban. The house, belonging to the family of Kapali Dashis of that region and built by the matriarch Basanta Kumari Dashi, still reflects the glorious architectural heritage of old Kolkata homes, aptly complementing our classic lookbook with a classy, contemporary touch.
What made our Puja shoot location even more special is the presence of the Madan Mohan temple adjacent to the house that still hosts the family’s traditional Durga Puja, giving us a glimpse of the Durga idol in its making process.
The lookbook featuring Nameg saris is an interesting mix that beautifully amalgamates traditional craft and contemporary taste. The colour palette chosen for the five days is also a desirable mix of bright festive shades and subtle-glam pastels creating a complete five-day Puja lookbook.
Rituparna cuts a pretty picture in a simple shibori and natural-dyed hand-painted kalamkari sari, glammed up with traditional-style jewellery worn in a modern way. A dash of blue on the eyes with an overall nude make-up complements the vibrant medley of colours on the sari, perfect for a Sashthi look.
Ditching the quintessential Ashtami red, Rituparna channells an elegant vibe in the self-colour pastel green silk sari designed with handwoven golden motifs all over. A stack of traditional bangles and statement earrings add a subtle-glam touch to the minimal make-up look with accentuated eyes.
The dual bright shades of rani pink and midnight blue are perfect for the Navami night out look in this katan silk Benarasi sari. The classic pulled-up bun, complemented with the contemporary choice of minimal make-up in natural shades and statement jewellery pieces complete the look.
The quintessential red-and-white Dashami look, depicting the Kolkata skyline running along the border of the handmade cotton batik sari, is complemented with a classic touch in the hair and make-up. Simple nude make-up, the bindi, the hair tied in a long plait and the contemporary-favourite cascading chaandbalis complete the look.
OWNER SPEAK:
“Our collection this year has been curated keeping in mind that Durga Puja is early and is happening when the weather is still humid and hot. We have kept different kinds of silks like light silks, heavy silks and mulberry silk which are very light. This year, I see a lot of people buying these. Handloom is also a part of the collection and the entire collection in cottons and silks is curated from different parts of India that are apt not only for the festival but are also comfortable for wearing round the year,” said Meghali Barua Lahiry (left) with sisters Namita and Rupali (right).
CONCEPT NOTE
“We chose to do the shoot in this property because Durga Puja has been declared as an Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO this year. Heritage means it has been there for a number of years. We know that Kolkata began from the north of where we live now mostly. It is the old part of Kolkata and we were lucky to find a house that is more than 150 years old in Kolkata and celebrates Durga Puja in their family for over 150 years now. Then we decided to work with handloom and silk saris from different parts of India as handloom is also a part of the Indian heritage. We chose the kind of jewellery worn by women of those eras that are still in contemporary use even today. We chose Rituparna because she has been around for many years right at the top now. We wanted to put together a shoot with history, heritage and Bangaliana. This was the look that I attempted for the entire lookbook” — Jeena Mitra Banik, who conceptualised the shoot
HAIR, MAKE-UP AND STYLING NOTES
“Classic Bengali looks in a modern way with minimal make-up is what we tried to create for this lookbook. The saris were draped in a contemporary, simple manner. The looks were enhanced with classic gold jewellery worn in a contemporary manner. We tried to create an overall Bengali lookbook with a modern twist” — Kaushik and Rajat, hair, make-up and styling pro
Pictures: Pabitra Das
Location: Rajkrishna Bhaban, 41, Chittaranjan Avenue
Hair, make-up and styling: Kaushik and Rajat
Concept by: Jeena Mitra Banik
Jewellery: B. Sirkar Johuree, Diamond Plaza