February brings an impressive line-up of pop-ups in Delhi-NCR ranging from Pili Taxi’s sustainable lifestyle offerings to Boho Bazaar’s flea market. Curator Srila Chatterjee’s Baro Market Bengal Bazaar pop has had five editions in Mumbai and is coming to Delhi for the second time.
Chatterjee , the co-founder and curator of Mumbai’s famous Baro Market, says this one is close to her heart as it brings offerings from her home state of Bengal, along with some products from Assam.
The display will have the best of Bengal’s craft and artistry presented through clothing, food, jewellery, accessories and home products. “Our bazaar is tailored for people interested in unique expressions that are typical of Bengal. What we will present is not easily available anywhere else,” she says.
The curator is bringing hand-spun and hand-woven cotton pieces from Santiniketan-based label Mahua. The ensembles are crafted from cotton grown by the brand and dyed in-house with foraged natural ingredients. Further, Kolkata-based textile label Aasmani by Arundhati which deals in kantha work, baluchari silk, hand-block prints and jamdanis saris will bring handcrafted pieces.
Label Bhomra will bring its modern take on traditional weaves of Bengal such as taant, dhakai and tangail. For those who admire quirky jewellery, new-age labels like Goddess of Glocal will offer cutting-edge designs inspired by the cosmos, flora, celestial bodies and Indian artefacts.
Chatterjee is elated to have onboarded some “talented” people who will be showcasing their work. “We have Srijoni Roy, a ceramic designer and founder of the ceramic art brand Bake Clay. Born deaf, she has never let her disability hold her back. Instead, she finds inspiration in the world around her, absorbing its beauty and recreating it in clay. Despite facing discouragement from doctors who advised against normal schooling, she persevered and went on to graduate from the prestigious National Institute of Design (NID).”
Laltu and Tagar Chitrakar, eighth-generation Pattachitra artists from Midnapore in Bengal, are keeping the Patua art tradition alive but with a modern twist. They have adapted the scrolls to modern living where they can be customised to size and colour. Also, besides just painting traditional
narratives from mythology and village life, they are also bringing issues related to the environment and politics. Engineering student Monalisha who found herself drawn to the metalsmiths in the lanes of Kolkata will bring jewellery from her brand Earthaments.
The pop-up will also bring a “guest” brand from Assam, The Nomi, that uses Assamese weaves to create sustainable fashion. Bindi lovers can get their hands on handmade bespoke bindis by The Bindi Project. The pop-up will also display jewellery from Anki Bunki, fabric-based jewellery from Needle, and artworks by curator and archivist Sounak Chacraverti, amongst others.
On the sustainability aspect of the pop-up, Chatterjee says, “Everything that Baro Market does is, and always has been sustainable. Every brand works in small groups or clusters using non-factory techniques and always has community involvement. Each of them consciously looks at how it can contribute to a better world.”
The bazaar is on February 13-15 at 5 Padmini Enclave, from 11am to 7pm