Smriti Morarka displays Benarasi saris from Tantuvi. Picture by Rashbehari Das

What: Tantuvi, an exhibition of Benarasi saris.

Where: Finesse, 11/1B New Road, Alipore.

When: October 27.

Take a look: The designs revolve around traditional themes like flowers, leaves and geometric patterns. “The British era saw some bizarre designs creep into the Benarasi weaves. The pallas became bigger and hence difficult for most women to carry gracefully. Tantuvi is trying to rediscover ethnic roots,” said Smriti Morarka of the label.

The colour palette sticks to typical Indian shades, screaming out the “vibrancy of the Gangetic valley”. Lots of red, green, purple and magenta are splashed and a few “contemporary colours” like peach and turquoise are occasionally seen in lighter saris. The pieces boast pure zari and beaten silver ribbon.

Pocket pinch: The cotton weaves are priced at Rs 4,000-plus and the heavier saris begin from Rs 9,000.

Voiceover: “A visit to Benaras 12 years ago is where the idea of Tantuvi was born. We take special care to see that not too many similar pieces are woven and duplicates are a rare phenomena,” smiled Smriti.