From 3A Hogg Street near New Market to the sprawling rooms of a heritage building on Lower Circular Road to a cramped space on the second floor of a Camac Street building and finally to a modest area on Rashbehari Avenue, the store run by Bengal Home Industries Association has travelled a lot.
The 106-year-old institution has survived the pandemic and is now thriving.
Bengal Home brings West Bengal’s rural handicrafts directly from the artisans to the shop floor. While many had their doubts, the century-old not-for-profit institution survived the Covid and has regained its pre-pandemic sales.
In 1915, at the Bengal Legislative Council, Surendranath Banerjea moved a resolution seeking aid for the cottage industries of Bengal.
The then chief secretary, Beatson Bell, passed the resolution and a plan evolved in 1916 to form a body to help revive Bengal’s silk weaving and handicrafts, which were declining. A citizen’s group got together and founded the Bengal Home Industries Association and registered it under the Indian Companies Act (Section 26) in 1917.
It was registered as a philanthropic, non-profit, charitable organisation with a memorandum that stated that the income, profit and property of the association would be used solely towards the promotion of Bengal’s cottage industries, arts and crafts. The association’s first meeting was held in February 1917 under the chairmanship of Lady Carmichael, wife of the then Governor of Bengal, Lord Carmichael. She was the founder and first honorary president.
Many citizens joined the association, including Gaganendranath Tagore, who was a committee member.
Lady Carmichael had got Gaganendranath to design the motif of the association. Called the Carmichael bird, it resembled the ducks and chickens of rural Bengal, which were an intrinsic part of the villages, the birthplace of many artistic handicrafts. The motif can be found printed in cotton malmal saris of the association.
Bengal Home Industries today is now at a “comfortable space”, said Nandini Mahtab, an executive committee member. Operating from an 800 square feet space packed with Dhonekhali, Phulia, Santipuri saris, dokra works, bedcovers, linen, semi-precious jewellery and other knick-knacks, the location of a south Kolkata residential neighbourhood is bringing back the patrons to the shop.
“The association had a sale of Rs 13,19,000 during the 2018 Puja. Puja sales in 2022 were to the tune of Rs 19,25,000,” said Shankar Kumar Bose, the treasurer. “We are back to our pre-pandemic volume”.
Rs 35 lakh seized, 2 arrested
Kolkata police on Friday seized around Rs 35 lakh from an office in Burrabazar in the northwestern part of the city, which cops said was unaccounted for money.
Two men have been arrested in connection with the alleged cash haul.
Based on specific information, a team of police officers raided the office of a textile company in Babulal Lane in Burrabazar on Friday and allegedly spotted two men, identified as Ramavatar Ganeriwal and Swarnamal Sharma, with the money.
An officer at Lalbazar said the two men, who are employees of different firms, were questioned. But they allegedly failed to explain the source of the money.
A theft case has been registered, following which both were arrested. The two will be produced in a court on Saturday.
Sources said the owners of the companies where the duo work have been summoned to Lalbazar. They will be questioned about the money