Puja is incomplete without adda and music. Music has been intrinsically associated with Puja for ages, starting from Mahalaya playing on the radio giving us the first feeling of Puja through the Agomoni songs to the music playing in the neighbourhood loudspeakers throughout the five festive days, the association between Puja and music brings back myriad memories for Calcuttans through their shared experiences. The release of new Puja songs holds a different place of nostalgia for Bengalis and so does Pujor gaaner adda. Tapping into this nostalgia, t2 organised this special Puja shoot and an adda on music with three contemporary singers — Ujjaini Mukherjee, Lagnajita Chakraborty and Somlata Acharyya Chowdhury — to explore the range of the festive quintessential laal-shada saris from Dipanwita Hazari’s boutique Sandhyarag. The old-Calcutta charm of the interiors of Hazari Bari created beautiful frames for the shoot and added to the nostalgic mood.
A hint of gold never fails to add the perfect regal touch to a red-and-white silk sari. This garod silk with a complementing solid red and gold zari border is designed with leaf and floral kalka motifs all over. Keeping its traditional charm, Anupam styled the look with a traditional drape with the palla tied to the hand for easily carrying the look. Lace-fringed blouse, traditional gold jewellery worn in layers, chunky jhumkas, bun, vermilion and kohl eyes give this look the total Bengali touch from head to toe
“For a lot of musicians like me, Puja has become synonymous with doing live shows. The performance could be in Calcutta or anywhere in the world but it is always a fun experience. The excitement around Puja songs has changed definitely, but there are musicians who still find the motivation to come out with Puja releases and that is very hopeful,” said Lagnajita.
Ujjaini said, “Even when I was not a singer, the songs played in Puja pandals used to wake me up from my sleep. When I go to perform outside during Puja I really miss it. I always hope to hear the Mahalaya on the loudspeaker. There was a time when access to music was not so easy, we had to buy cassettes. Saving money to buy cassettes is a very fond memory. Now, music is available with the push of a button. But even now, if I don’t listen to the singers of the golden generation like Kishore Kumar, Puja feels incomplete, but I hope people listen to artistes of our generation as well.”
Their all-time favourite Puja song? “Ay rey chutey ay,” said all three.
Somlata’s red-and-white sari in this frame is a confluence of a traditional weave with a contemporary design. This Kanjeevaram designed with smart checks is colourblocked with the bright solid red and temple-motif border. It is paired with a traditional Dhakai blouse. Natural make-up, vermilion bindi, statement jewellery and fresh white flowers in the hair complete this statement look
“I miss Calcutta very much during Puja days but since I started professional singing, I knew that this would be a part of my career. But my most memorable Puja release is listening to my first original song play at Puja pandals. The song is called Sukanta from an album called Chupkatha,” said Somlata.
Ujjaini said, “I am very excited about my release this year, which is Dugga Dugga. This one is very special. For me, Puja has become synonymous with travelling for many years now. I feel Puja is not just about me but it is also about spreading happiness amongst all. I do miss Puja in Calcutta but wherever the audience wants to listen to us, I love to travel and sing for all.”
“I grew up in a Bengali joint family. While growing up, I used to see how my mother and aunts used to dress up in laal-shada. So, styling this was very special for me. I gave them different drapes for each sari and created different blouses to go with each sari to style the looks differently. We decorated each frame with a lot of brass and fresh flowers to add the festive vibe,” said Anupam Chatterjee, stylist.
“Laal-shada is a timeless combination. I myself love traditional saris and keep all kinds, from our trademark personalised Sandhyarag designs to weaves and designs from all states of India. My focus is the purity of the weaves. Our present laal-shada collection has saris from all states of India, especially Odisha, South Indian states and Manipur as well as saris from West Bengal. We have experimented with traditional weaves like the gadwal. Check, dot and stripes never go out of style, and I have tried to stick to that for the designs. I have also mostly worked with floral and foliage motifs this time. I usually work with bird motifs. Red represents Shakti and love and white represents purity, and because of this symbolism, this combination is loved so much by all Indians for various occasions. It can be designed at a very affordable price, too. Women of all ages love this combination. Younger generation girls wearing a sari for the first time also choose it. It suits everyone and complements any body type,” said Dipanwita Hazari, owner, Sandhyarag Boutique.
Jewellery: B. Sirkar Johuree
Blouses: Warssi Kolkata
Styling: Anupam Chatterjee
Hair and Make-up for Lagnajita: Nooralam Babai
Hair and Make-up for Somlata and Ujjaini: Sumit Samanta
Location: Hazari Bari
Hospitality: Rang De Basanti
