KOLKATA:
London
Sharad Utsav (LSU), a non-profit organization that celebrates
Durga Puja for four days at the
Ealing Town Hall
in London in a big way, is promoting the traditional craft of
Baluchari
this festive season.
Founded in 2009, LSU - whose flagship event is the four-day autumnal Puja - has been doing much to revive
Bengal
art and handicrafts and foster financial support to artisans here, and has now emerged as a prominent NGO for Bengalis settled in the UK.
Baluchari saris weaved by Bengal artisans will find a special place during this year's Puja festivities at Ealing Town Hall. Starting October 9, LSU will host the Baluchari Festival. There will be a fashion show, where LSU members will walk the ramp clad in Bengali attire, with Baluchari the cynosure of the grand carnival.
"LSU has not only brought in an aura of grandeur in Durga Puja celebrations in the heart of London but also, since 2013, contributed significantly towards promoting Bengal art and handicraft," puja committee member Anirban Mukhopadhyay told TOI.
From the beginning of the year, LSU members have been reaching out to Baluchari weavers in Bishnupur and surrounding villages. At the mandap, they will project how a unique system of sericulture brought in the emergence of fine silk (Bishnupuri silk) that comes to life in a five-and-a-half-yard sari, which then goes through a process of intricate cosmetic surgery, by means of Baluchari design, how the perfect colour combination is chosen by the weavers and the final touches given to the detailed embroidery.
At the exhibition, the distinctive feature of this embroidery - featuring a chapter from either Ramayana or Mahabharata - will also be shown.
The Baluchari theme has been anchored by Smita Majumder from London and Kaushik Moulik from Kolkata. "I never thought I would see such a huge collection of Baluchari saris selling at this rapid pace in London. I feel so proud that they come from my mother state, my motherland," said Majumder.
LSU's social impact journey started with patachitra, before moving on to jute. LSU members, led by London-based IT professional Amit Guha, reached out to these painters and brought a huge selection of patachitras from remote Bengal villages to London, under the banner Roop Katha, which have been selling at a steady rate.
Alongside the Baluchari festival, jute and patachitra from Bengal will also be displayed at the venue during Puja.
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