To greater depths: India’s deepest ventilation shaft for East West Metro in Kolkata.
The Metro project connects Kolkata and Howrah through underground tunnels below river Hooghly
Kolkata’s East West Metro Project, a mega infrastructure venture connecting the twin cities of Kolkata and Howrah through underground tunnels below the river Hooghly, will have achieved another engineering feat on Monday when it completes India’s deepest Metro ventilation shaft. The shaft goes 43.5 metres below the ground level, equivalent to a 15-storey building. The shaft will not only provide ventilation to the tunnels, but also an exit for evacuation during an emergency.
The evacuation shaft is located at Strand Road near river Hooghly and is situated between the two tunnels.
“This is a marvellous achievement, to successfully complete the 43.5-metre deep Metro ventilation shaft on the bank of river Hooghly. This is India’s deepest Metro ventilation shaft ever constructed by adopting a unique methodology… ,” said Satya Narayan Kunwar, Project Manager, Afcons.
Afcons had been commissioned by the Kolkata Metro Railway Corporation Ltd ( KMRCL) to execute the underground stretch of the East West Metro Project from Howrah Maidan to New Mahakaran station, which includes the tunnels below the river bed. The projects have already achieved a number of significant milestones which are considered engineering marvels. Two tunnels running parallel to each other about 37 metres below the river bed were completed by mid 2017 followed by the Howrah Metro Station, which, at 30 metres below the earth surface, is the deepest metro station in the country.
Afcons officials said the ventilation shaft was another such milestone. The shaft has a 10.3 metre inner diameter circular lining wall of minimum 500 mm thickness, and of concrete grade minimum M40 (a special construction material) circumscribed by 1 metre thick diaphragm walls all around.
‘Innovative techniques’
“The Metro shaft has been constructed adopting innovative engineering techniques and methodology to navigate geological challenges and overcome any impact on Kolkata’s circular railway track along river Hooghly,” Mr. Kunwar said.
The 16.6 km East West Metro Project will connect Howrah on one side of the river Hooghly to New Town Rajarhat in the north eastern fringes of the city on the other side. About 10.8 km of the metro line is underground and the remaining 9.8 km of the project will be through an elevated corridor.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kolkata / by Shiv Sahay Singh / Kolkata – August 10th, 2020
India and Bangladesh have enhanced cooperation in shipping and inland water trade in the recent years.
MEA Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava
New Delhi :
The first-ever container cargo from Kolkata via Bangladesh’s Chattogram port has reached Agartala, the External Affairs Ministry said on Thursday, terming it a “historic milestone” in the Indo-Bangladesh connectivity and economic partnership.
Union minister Mansukh Mandaviya had last week flagged off the first trial container ship from Kolkata carrying cargo meant for Agartala that reached the city via the Chattogram port.
MEA Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said it will help in further development of the northeastern region.
“Another historic milestone in India-Bangladesh connectivity & economic partnership as the first ever container cargo from Kolkata via Chattogram port reaches Agartala.
This will help in further development of the north eastern region,” he said in a tweet.
India and Bangladesh have enhanced cooperation in shipping and inland water trade in the recent years.
Under the Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade, in addition to the six existing Ports of Call, five more in each country have been added recently, the Ministry of Shipping said in a statement last week.
A Port of Call is a place where a ship stops during a voyage to enable the loading and unloading of cargo.
Dredging of inland waterway routes is ongoing under a pact signed by the two countries on development of fairway in selected stretches of Bangladesh waterways, with the Government of India bearing 80 per cent of the project expenditure and the balance being borne by the neighbouring country, it said.
Cruise services have also commenced between the two countries, promoting tourism and people-to-people contacts, it said.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Nation / by PTI / July 23rd, 2020
These men from Kolkata sport only HMT watches and boast an impressive collection of the brand.
Madan Mohan Chakraborty begins by making an irrefutable statement: that a watch is a watch; whether it costs a hundred rupees or a million, it shows you the same time.
He should know better. His fascination for watches dates back to his childhood. “A watch is a consummate combination of art and science,” says Mr. Chakraborty, CEO and managing director of a European technology MNC. “I was always attracted by design, art, engineering, accuracy and precision, and in a watch, you get it all.”
But what sets him apart is that a large chunk of his collection consists of HMT watches. Even though he owns many expensive brands as well, it is always an HMT that adorns his wrist. “Here, look at this,” he shows off an HMT Surabhi, “this is better than most Omegas. And this is HMT Priya, look how gorgeous it is!”
HMT — set up as Hindustan Machine Tools in 1953 — began making watches in 1961 and the first batch of its hand-wound watches was released by then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. For decades, HMT remained synonymous with a wrist watch before, towards the end of the century, Titan took its place, a process that was soon followed by the easy availability of internationally reputed brands in the market.
As an icing on the cake for Mr. Chakraborty, his best friend, Debasish Singh Roy, also happens to be an HMT collector. “I collect coins, cameras, currency notes, but watches are something that I collect as well as use. HMT has been a part of my life, right from the thread ceremony to marriage. I feel good when I think that my watches will go to my daughters and the generation after. Spending time with my collection was one of the most interesting things I did during the lockdown,” said Mr. Singh Roy, a businessman and a sports enthusiast.
Why this fascination for HMT?
Mr. Chakraborty replied on behalf of both: “HMT carries the ability of India. It demonstrates the capability of India, second after second, minute after minute, hour after hour, day after days and generations after generations. We feel extremely proud when we walk in the by-lanes of Switzerland with an HMT Janata or a Pilot on our wrists. People who understand watches can tell whether a watch is mechanical or battery-operated.”
Mr. Singh Roy said: “Many are not even aware that HMT watches are still available on their official site. Many are also not even aware that most HMT factories have closed down and the last one may close down soon. The irony is that HMT was not making money when the watches were available within Rs. 1000. Now when you have to pay between Rs. 1,000 and Rs. 12,000 to get an HMT, there is a queue. HMT failed as there was no effort in its branding. When the world is talking about going green, it’s time for us to stop using battery-operated or even smart watches.”
Mr. Chakraborty, as he fished out more sturdy-looking HMTs from his collection, added: “There are many reasons that HMT should be revived. If properly promoted, the entire globe is your market. You don’t need exclusive showrooms to sell watches. HMT-lovers groups active online will promote the brand. Atmanirbharta [or self-reliance, readvocated recently by Prime Minister Narendra Modi] must be an action, not just an empty slogan.”
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kolkata / by Bishwanath Ghosh / Kolkata – July 09th, 2020
Mookerjee was the founder president of Bharatiya Jana Sangh which later became BJP.
Kolkata :
The Union Cabinet has approved the decision of renaming Kolkata port as Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port which was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Kolkata visit on the occasion of the 150-year celebration of Kolkata Port Trust in last January. Mookerjee was the founder president of Bharatiya Jana Sangh which later became BJP.
While announcing the new name of Kolkata port in the programme in Kolkata on January 12, Modi had said, “It is a significant day for Bengal and those connected with the Kolkata Port Trust. It is a historic port that saw India’s freedom and has been a witness to India’s progress. It will be called Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port.”
Mookerjee was independent India’s first minister of Industry and Supply and known to be a harsh critic of the Congress party. Mookerjee, who led the Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha from 1943 to 1946 as its president, opposed Article 370 and expressed his displeasure at special status for Jammu and Kashmir. Mookerjee was arrested by Jammu and Kashmir police and died in custody in 1953.
Shortly after Modi announced the renaming of Kolkata port, trade unions at the port protested saying the move will hurt the history of the organisation. A mass signature campaign from the employees of the riverine port against the Centre’s decision had been launched by the National Union of Waterfront Workmen(I), backed by West Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnatka / by Express News Service / June 03rd, 2020
Nandi calls himself a first-generation tanner, but sitting in the hall of his factory, it occurs that that is just a technicality.
Tan man : Tapan Nandi in his workshop / Moumita Chaudhuri
There is a misconception that it was the Muslims who dominated the tanning industry, he says. It is difficult to tell his age from either appearance or agility, but from time to time Tapan Nandi scratches his head and wrings his hands to recall the names of people and events. He continues, “It was rather the Chinese refugees (read immigrants) who had the technical knowhow of this business.”
Nandi calls himself a first-generation tanner, but sitting in the hall of his factory in Bantala on the southeastern fringes of Calcutta, it occurs that that is just a technicality.
The hall has been divided into two units. To the right, there are open shelves with ladies’ handbags, wallets, key-holders and whatnot on display. And to the left, there is a table stacked with files and papers. That is Nandi’s workstation. On the floor, there are some wooden crates. “Those have come back from an exhibition in the US,” says Nandi. Indeed, it is perhaps more accurate to call him a leather enthusiast than a tanner.
Nandi joined the trade in the 1970s. He is almost apologetic for not having a hard luck story to share. His manner is affable and he is very literal and clinical. “It was not due to any financial problem that I started my career early. Neither was it because I was not interested in academics. I was a good student,” he clarifies. Hard luck or no, it is a story of a stray passion, of starting out from a small room in north Calcutta with three labourers and getting here, a full- fledged factory for leather goods with a workforce of 600-plus.
He returns to Topic 1, continues to foreground that tanning was not a Muslim-only industry in the 1950s and 60s. He talks about the owner of Canton Tannery, Michael Lin, who taught him the basics. According to Nandi, Canton Tannery was the oldest tannery of Calcutta and one Sanjay Sen was one of the pioneers of the leather industry. Marwari businessman Shyam Murarka set up the city’s first modern tannery in Kidderpore.
But Muslims did play a large part in the industry, as they were in control of the raw material, which in this case is the skin of the animal. Nandi talks about Gulab Nami, a small-scale manufacturer who taught him how to craft leather. He says, “Muslims were otherwise low on entrepreneurship and also on the technology aspect. The labourers were Hindus, Bengali and Bihari, but not Muslims. And what the Muslims mainly sold were goatskins. Cow and buffalo hides were available in China Town. He says, “In fact, 90 per cent of the cow hide I used to purchase was from the Chinese. Those days cow hides were available at Rs 2 or Rs 3 per square feet.”
A revolting smell hangs about the Bantala leather complex. But Nandi does not seem to notice. He talks animatedly about giveaways that distinguish good hide from bad hide — mosquito or bug bites leave marks that will show only after the first stage of tanning. “Also, it is very important to know where and under what condition the animal has been reared. This is something only a butcher knows,” he adds.
He goes on about the technique of rubbing salt on raw hide to keep the hair intact. The need for it — “If the hair is gone, the skin will go bad.” The process thereafter — “Soak it in limewater to get the hair off and dip in water to wash off the lime. A few more steps and the leather is put out to dry.” He seems to have a chemist’s precision. But of course, he replies, he has a degree in chemistry.
As he climbs down the stairs he talks about the future of the industry, the pollution and the environmental hazards. “I can work for another 10 to 15 years,” he claims and walks swiftly down the corridor, way ahead of everyone else.
source: http://www.telegraphindia.com / The Telegraph, online edition / Home> Culture> People / by Moumita Chaudhuri / March 14th, 2020
The Nizam’s Roll is one of India’s great dishes but it never gets the recognition it deserves
Kebabs rolled in paratha with onions is a fantastic dish that needs to be popularised and preserved (Shutterstock)
Over the last two decades, more and more restaurants have switched to wraps over sandwiches. You would think that Indians, with our tradition of rotis, would be perfect for this trend. But it is Central America that has taken the lead. The pattern for most wraps closely follows the Mexican taco in terms of style and construction.
I find this odd. Why shouldn’t India, land of the flatbread, have a place in this wrap boom? A few months ago, Gaggan Anand opened Ms. Maria & Mr. Singh, a Mexican-Indian restaurant in Bangkok. Gaggan recognised the similarity between Mexican tortillas and our breads. So his food plays on the similarities, especially in the wraps he serves.
This is great but it still intrigues me that our rotis have been excluded from this boom. I can think of only one exception: the kathi kebab roll.
I had never heard of the dish, till I moved to Calcutta in 1986. Nobody called it a kathi kebab in Calcutta. Instead, it was called the Nizam’s Roll. I stayed at the Oberoi Grand when I first arrived and I found a place called New Nizam’s, opposite the hotel, that served rolls.
I was alone in Calcutta, so there were many evenings when I would stroll across and watch them make the rolls. From what I remember, the cook heated a massive tawa and then put a half-ready paratha on it. As the paratha heated up, he broke an egg on the paratha and cooked it on both sides. Then he took ready-made kebabs, heated them on an empty portion of the tawa before placing them in the centre of a paratha. He added onions, which had been sliced long, and a little chutney, before rolling up the paratha so that it became a cylinder. He wrapped the cylinder in paper and gave it to you to take away.
Mexico-style wraps are super popular in Central America ( Shutterstock )
I was so hooked on the rolls that I began ordering them for lunch in my office. Except that the ‘bearer’ (the Calcutta term for what we used to call a peon in Mumbai in that era) said he had never heard of New Nizam’s. He insisted on going to what he said was the only real Nizam’s. The rolls were great so I didn’t really care where he got them from.
But I was intrigued enough to go to what was called “the real Nizam’s”. The first thing I saw was a sign that read “We have no branches”. So okay, “New Nizam’s” may have had nothing to do with the original.
The ‘real Nizam’s’ guy told me that they had invented the dish and that their version was special because a) it used charcoal-grilled kebabs, which others did not and b) it was made on an ancient tawa. (I was never able to establish how old the tawa actually was.)
I did some digging. As far as anyone in Calcutta could tell, the dish had really been invented at Nizam’s. That’s why it was called a Nizam’s Roll. Most non-Bengali meat dishes in Calcutta are always attributed to Wajid Ali Shah (the man who put the potato in biryani if Bengalis are to be believed) but this one, everyone agreed, had been created by Nizam’s around 50 years ago. (That would have made it the 1930s or so.)
As time went on and the dish began to spread out of Calcutta, I discovered that it was called a Kathi Kebab Roll. Ah, I said to myself, the fact that it has a name means that it exists elsewhere in India. But nobody would claim ownership of the KathiKebab Roll. No Delhi chef. No Lucknow chef. No Hyderabad chef.
But kathi kebab? Where did that name come from? The guys at Nizam’s had an explanation. They said that kathi referred to the sticks on which they would skewer the kebabs before cooking. Jealous people who did not want to give Nizam’s the credit, they said darkly, called Nizam’s Rolls, Kathi Kebab Rolls.
Indian sandwiches only became popular in the 1960s and 1970s ( Shutterstock )
I have no idea if the kathi-wallahs had such evil motives but it is true that fewer and fewer people call them Nizam’s Rolls now – even in Calcutta. I was there a few months ago and everyone just called them ‘rolls’ and directed me to various newer restaurants and outlets.
At the same time, there are restaurants that serve rolls and call themselves ‘Nizam’s’ all over India. Are they related to the Calcutta original or are they, like “New Nizam’s”, not quite the real thing? I have no idea.
But in my view, and I said so in one of the very first Rude Food columns I ever wrote, the roll is the great Calcutta dish. The puchka comes close (but there are other contenders in Lucknow, Mumbai and Benaras). Otherwise, if you want to search for Calcutta’s unique contribution to Indian cuisine, you’ll be reduced to discussing rasgullas and ras malai.
When I first wrote about the roll, I complained that it was not widely available outside of Calcutta. In the 15 years or so since that article appeared, that has changed. You get rolls everywhere from Delhi to Dubai to Nagpur to New York. The roll has finally been given its rightful status as a great Indian dish.
Gaggan Anand serves wraps at his Mexican-Indian restaurant in Bangkok
But the questions that started me off on this chain of thought remain. Why is the roll the one famous Indian wrap? Why don’t we have more wraps in any of our cuisines? We have all the ingredients – from the breads (rotis, parathas, makki rotis etc.) and delicious fillings. And yet, even as the world has embraced wraps, India never gets a look in.
I asked chef Manjit Gill, my guru in matters relating to the history of Indian food, if he could think of any other Indian wraps. He couldn’t. I asked then if he had heard of kathi kebabs outside of Calcutta. Manjit said he hadn’t. As far as he knew the kathi kebab was a Calcutta dish.
I then asked Manjit the big question. Why doesn’t Indian cuisine have more wraps?
I liked Manjit’s answer. Wraps are meant to be eaten on the go. In India, we rarely ever eat standing up, let alone on the go. We are not a fast food culture. We like to sit down and eat our meals. Many of us would prefer to eat the kebabs and the parathas separately, rather than combine them and wrap them in paper. For most of our existence, we have been the ultimate slow food nation.
Pav-bhaji was invented in the 1960s for traders at the old Cotton Exchange ( Shutterstock )
I reckon that till the 20th century, India was a country where nothing in the kitchen was done fast; all food was slow food. Even chaat, which is eaten standing, is serious food. You can’t really walk around while eating a golgappa as you can while eating a sandwich or a wrap.
The Nizam’s Roll is usually dated to the mid-1930s, which, I suspect, is when things began to change.
Pav–bhaji was invented in the 1960s for traders at the old Cotton Exchange who would stay up till early in the morning to see the New York cotton prices. It is not a cold dish. It has to be cooked on the spot. But they did eat it standing up and for many of the Gujarati bania traders, it was the only time they ate bread.
Indian sandwiches only became popular in the 1960s and 1970s. The Bombay sandwich (freshly made but cold), which you could eat on the run is really a ’70s phenomenon.
The vada-pav is essentially a Maharashtrian hamburger ( Shutterstock )
So is vada-pav. Both seized upon the industrialisation of baking and the availability of cheap (and fairly disgusting) bread to create new dishes. Both have Western antecedents. The sandwich is not Indian, by definition, and the vada-pav is essentially a Maharashtrian hamburger.
So, what happens in the 21st century? Now that we have lost out in the global wrap movement, will India just follow the rest of the world and make fast food based on hamburgers, pizzas and sandwiches (all suitably Indianised)?
Sadly, I think that we are headed in that direction. So, value the roll. It is a great dish.
And one that’s truly Indian.
From HT Brunch, July 12, 2020
Follow @HTBrunch on Twitter
Connect with us on facebook.com/hindustantimesbrunch
source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home> Brunch / by Vir Sanghvi , Hindustan Times / July 12th, 2020
“He wanted to provide the best quality food at the cheapest price,” said daughter Sohini Basu
Arnab Basu, the man who created Mio Amore / sourced by the Telegraph
Arnab Basu, the owner of popular confectionery brands Mio Amore and Winkies, died on July 2 at a city hospital. According to family sources, he was battling liver cancer.
A resident of The Residency in City Centre, Basu was 65 and is survived by his wife, son and daughter.
Basu, who started as a bank employee and then ran a bakery in Saudi Arabia with a friend, founded Switz Foods in 1989. Two years later, he would open his factory in Kasba Industrial Estate.
He arranged with a Mumbai company to bring the brand Monginis to eastern India, taking it in a new direction. The chain, that started with a shop in Dhakuria in 1992, expanded to over 300 outlets in Bengal and Odisha, including 220 in Calcutta.
In 2010, he entered a joint venture with Bauli of Italy to start production of croissants. He launched the brand Winkies to enter the packaged confectionery business in 2012. Soon after, he decided to set up his own brand and thus was born Mio Amore in 2015. Within two years, turnover soared over Rs 500 crore.
“He wanted to provide the best quality food at the cheapest price,” said daughter Sohini Basu, who owns the popular cafe and cake shop Mrs Magpie. “My father was happy that one of his children got into cakes,” she added. Basu’s son is a London-based banker.
source: http://www.telegraphindia.com / The Telegraph, online edition / Home> West Bengal> Calcutta / by The Telegraph, Special Correspondent / July 10th, 2020
In addition to our regular programmes, she is introducing a forum for the members and about the members to keep this laughter alive.
Diya Jaiswal Telegraph picture
You are taking over at a difficult time… what are some of your immediate plans?
These are very difficult and unprecedented times and there is no roadmap for a clear path. As a practising life coach, my core mantra remains to not look at any situation as a problem. I look at it as a challenge to find my inner resilience. I had many great plans for this year but this pandemic will not allow many of those to translate into reality. I have regrouped my thoughts and refocused myself, and I am now ready with a number of plans for how we can interact and re-energise ourselves at this difficult time to help our membership and the larger community we are a part of. With the guidance of my elders and seniors and my more-than-capable committee, I will do my best to make the hardest times into the greatest ones.
How did your association with the Ladies Study Group (LSG) begin?
Being based in Calcutta, I have grown up hearing glorious tales about LSG. I have memories of being inspired by dining-table conversations in my childhood, which often veered around names of various luminaries who were gracing the LSG stage for years. It was, therefore, a natural choice for me to become a member as soon as I became a young adult and attend such events to learn, unlearn and relearn life. The attendance in the first decade of my membership was peppered with occasional events as I had my hands full, juggling motherhood, work and home. An old school friend’s mother who was the LSG president a few years ago, asked me to join the committee to help her out. Little did I realise at that point how special that one phone call was going to be, and how it would enrich my life and bring me to this role today. Having close encounters, deep conversations and constant learnings with the very same luminaries I had grown up admiring, have truly been a beautiful gift.
What are the kind of events you’re planning to host?
In many ways we are all writing history together. The theme for my term is ‘Embracing the New Normal’ as it is only once that we accept this period of crisis and transition that we can look ahead at the emerging opportunities it provides to reshape our thinking and embrace what lies ahead.
The committee members and I are committed to our goal of doing our best to fill the calendar with events, interactive workshops and social initiatives. We will begin our sessions with the webinar format as safety is our topmost priority. While this format will not have the physical element of interaction we had earlier, it will now allow for a different type of interaction — one that could perhaps allow for greater engagement and higher levels of attendance. I truly believe that adopting a webinar route is a genuine advantage to reach so many more members, who perhaps have missed some of our events due to travel or time constraints. Another added bonus of this new normal is that this format will also accommodate family members wanting to enjoy our sessions. These opportunities are, therefore, like sunrises and I would like to celebrate the feeling of togetherness that this digital platform will provide us all with.
Tell us a little about yourself…
Like so many women I know, I have worn different hats through my journey so far. I started out as a corporate investment banker with a foreign bank for eight years and had two children during this time. Motherhood comes with its own challenges with respect to time-management, and so I reinvented myself and became an entrepreneur. I set up my own art gallery, championing local artists and had a much better work-life balance. I ran my gallery for nine years and during this phase, I also had my third child.
Life was very full and busy, and yet, I had this yearning to do more, especially for women. The women in my life have always influenced and inspired me, and yet when I look around me even today, the empowerment of women is the most important and unfinished part of our human history. So I decided to educate myself further and went back to studying and learning. It was not easy to go back to studying at my age and stage of life, but I was determined. And so, as my children were doing their various school exams, I did mine, and I successfully completed three different degrees in mental health over a three-year period. Armed with insight and knowledge, I then set up ‘Empowerful’, practising as a life coach and counsellor, with my main objective of being a rainbow in someone’s cloud.
I cannot over-emphasise the importance of my family in my life. Instead of the often-used phrase of “behind every successful individual”, I would instead rephrase it and say “beside every committed individual” is the family, and I would be incomplete without mine, who are my anchors, my biggest cheerleaders and my strongest critics.
What are some of the challenges that you’re anticipating for this year?
The biggest challenge we are all facing today is the absence of personal interaction, which is something we had all taken for granted. At LSG, our members have always been our VIPs and we have made a lot of effort to involve our members in our annual interactive “members’ event”, a day that all of us look forward to every year. In this new normal, however, most of us are going to lead restricted lives over the next few months and being together to have this experience sounds distant. Therefore, we need to innovate to keep our connections thriving and our spirits growing stronger together.
In addition to our regular programmes, I am introducing LSG Plus, a forum for our members and about our members to keep this laughter alive. We will have two separate initiatives as part of this forum, both of which will have continuous events through the year and will carefully be structured to include all our members. As I mentioned, my focus in my term is to make each one feel “special”.
source: http://www.telegraphindia.com / The Telegraph, online edition / Home> People / by Ananya Sarkar / June 09th, 2020
Paris in Calcutta equates the beauty of the two cities by drawing parallels between the ambience, the architecture, the grunge, the art and the heritage.
A neckpeice from the collection
When Raj Mahtani showcased his creations along with couturier Anamika Khanna at Paris Fashion Week in 2008, it could well have been a prophetic moment for the first Indian jeweller to have done so on that esteemed international platform. More than a decade later, as his house of couture jewels enters its 20th year, the Kolkata-based master jewellery designer is ready to floor connoisseurs with a collection that brings together the cultures and concepts of Kolkata and Paris in a celebratory union.
Raj Mahtani
Paris in Calcutta equates the beauty of the two cities by drawing parallels between the ambience, the architecture, the grunge, the art and the heritage. The ornaments and adornments belie the conventional Indian wedding jewellery narrative to suit a more global context deriving from the European vocabulary of opulence in a modern format.
Known for creating concept luxury jewellery that marries the core of a Mughal sensibility (as well as Ottoman influences) to a more Western canvas, Mahtani has always strived to elevate the art of Indian jewellery to suit a modern palate. His penchant for creating statement neckpieces saw him present some of the most eye-popping polki and jadau collars, body corsets and scarfs along with Khanna’s clothes at the Paris Fashion Week that year. Courting immense critical acclaim and commercial laurels, Mahtani soon recognised the potential of his craft in India. The modern Indian woman, with an evolved, bold outlook and a confident sartorial sense was ready for the avant garde in bijouterie.
Thus, Mahtani started his fascinating journey that broke the traditional concepts of wedding and occasion wear. While drama is one element that marks his pieces, subtle elegance is another leitmotif. But no matter how simple the pieces were, they always sprung surprises of technique or execution (a diamond caterpillar necklace reflects the art of dynamism in diamonds, a gold choker that resembles crochet lace). The Paris in Calcutta collection, too, features some remarkable statement pieces that look extravagant, yet create a narrative of versatility and viability.
Bold, handcrafted pieces that take the onlooker’s breath away, each piece is a marvel in intricacy and artisanship that Satramdas Dhalamal, the family of jewellers that Mahtani is from, is legendary for.
Entering its 140th year, the designer has big plans for the mothership as well as his label in 2020. “These are pieces constructed in a manner so that they can be broken down into smaller pieces. We want patrons to wear them regularly instead of storing them away in lockers. These are jewels to be loved and worn again and again,” says Mahtani showing us a layered polki necklace that can be worn in six ways. And a curling wrist cuff encrusted with sapphires and diamonds that opens up to form a scintillating hasli.
“When we think of an Indian bride, the entire look had become too straight-jacketed. I wanted to break that notion. This is wedding jewellery for the bride who is a global citizen. She travels, she takes in the sights, sounds and cultures of a world village. She deserves jewellery that is so much more—demure, elegant, yet wow. Because simple needn’t be boring,” says Mahtani sitting amidst a veritable selection of jewellery.
The need to push the envelope in the field of wedding jewellery arose when Mahtani lived and worked in Europe in the 1990s, taking in how tastes and preferences in fashion were changing internationally. “The modern woman does not want to look like a bag of jewels. It’s one striking piece—a ring, an earring, a cuff, or a necklace—that does the trick. The definition of refinement and the context of couture jewellery has seen a sharp curve, bordering on boho-chic, functionality and the element of drama,” says the jeweller.
Indeed, if you’re looking for sheer, dramatic elegance, the Paris in Calcutta collection is right up your street.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Magazine / by Sharmi Adhikari / January 25th, 2020
‘This year we want to motivate our members to find that spark, and nurture and strengthen it so that we can light up the world’
Sunira Chamaria, executive director, DRIL, is taking over as the new chairperson of the Calcutta chapter of FICCI FLO / Sourced by the Telegraph
As the new FICCI FLO chairperson, what is your theme this year?
I have actively been with FLO for many years now and have served in the committee for more than five years. Our theme for this year is ‘Nurture your spark and light up the world’. I believe our unique spark glows within us. This year we want to motivate our members to find that spark, and nurture and strengthen it so that we can light up the world — all of this through a journey of learning and discovering.
What are some of your plans for this year?
The novel coronavirus continues to force people to stay indoors in an unprecedented manner and the subsequent disruption of lives across the world. However, this allows us an opportunity to go inwards and discover our roots. As a tree’s true strength is in the strength of its roots and the deeper the roots, the higher it can reach — with this aim we are planning various talks, focussing on our arts, history, heritage and culture with eminent personalities who are experts in their fields. A series of webinars called ‘Respond, Recover Revive’ has been specially curated to understand the impact of Covid-19 on various sectors such as cinema, fashion, aviation, finance and many others. Various industry stalwarts have been enlisted to make us understand their perspectives on the roadmap ahead. I would like to introduce ‘Fit@Flo’ and ‘love yourself’ series to discover wellness as a lifestyle as it has never been such a need of the hour like now. Also imperative during these times are community building and fellowship. As we are already fortunate enough to have a community such as ours, we will delve deep and forge a sense of togetherness and fortitude. This can be enhanced by shared experiences like cooking together, gaming together and indulging in art experiences with experts from the respective fields.
What are some of your objectives this year?
I would want to promote women entrepreneurship and a series of workshops are being planned to work on specific skills like ideation, operationalisation, marketing, finance and executive development. Apart from the promotion of fitness and wellness through the Fit@Flo and ‘love yourself’ series, I would also like to provide detailed understanding of current affairs among women through a series of webinars. Providing in-depth knowledge of Indian arts, heritage and culture and the creation of skilling opportunities for women of various strata and sectors of society are also on my list of objectives.
Tell us a little about yourself…
I completed my schooling in Delhi and have studied business at the undergraduate level, followed by an advanced course in systems analysis and design from NIIT. I have had varied industry experience, reflecting a number of fields that I am passionate about. My career began at Rajasthan Petro Synthetics, a pioneer in polypropylene yarn, where I spearheaded the digitalisation of the organisation as well as the planning and implementation of market strategy. Thereafter, I have founded a start-up in fashion, followed by one in the area of specialty foods. Presently, I am working with DRIL, the largest ropeway company in India, as an executive director. I am a mother of two lovely children and have a special interest in art and travel. An equitable society with equal opportunities is a dream I work towards.
What are some of the challenges that you’re anticipating this year?
We had planned a lot of events and workshops with the aim of empowerment of women. However, we have now restructured our planning and we are having most of our events in the form of webinars. This pandemic has forced us to think outside the box. We are connecting with our members in new ways to continue in our quest to create meaningful experiences. This also offers an opportunity to access eminent speakers across the globe who might not have been otherwise available to come to the city.
source: http://www.telegraphindia.com / The Telegraph, online edition / Home> People / by Annanya Sarkar / May 20th, 2020
