My Kolkata Walk

There are holidays, & 'holy' days, 'wholeness' days & 'holla-out-loud' days, honeymoons & heavenly hiatus &, of course, your good old fashion, run-of-the-mill, rest & relaxation, sexy vacation. All imply some form of respite, intermission, suspension of duty & recess from the ravishes of everyday life, perhaps even some perfumed-pamper & a little extra five-star-sparkle thrown into the crystal clear waters.

  The Hooghly River

I do not travel to INDIA for any of the aforementioned, ney, I tell you, I go there to be: propelled, pummelled, shaken about, spun around, smacked sideways, stunned, stupefied, confounded, confronted, crushed, affronted, assuaged, jolted, jarred, scarred, stared-at, serenaded-to, thwacked-on (by ricocheting spit-balls!) bumped-into, blessed & blithely bothered. In short, I go to experience the full gamut of human experience, of life 'Unfiltered'....a 'Walk of Life', which starts for some, & ends for others, in Kolkata.

The push & pull of industry

The family that works together...

Negotiating the space

Kolkata, that City of questionable 'Joy', that evokes more Dickensian drudgery, than Dalrymple delight, more 'Mother-House' affliction, than multi-fusion menu & more begging black-holes than a quantum-physics symposium. That she is ALL this, and more, makes her so frustratingly fascinating & likeable, people flock to her Hooghly-shores, not to escape the minutiae of life, but to face it.....head on & unapologetically.

 The wall of fancy-pants pundits

Tottering trams & tired buildings

Herbaceous road-side vendors

Peaceful Buddhist Shala

Ever wonder where your hair/shaving brushes come from? 

The finest goat manes!

Bow Barracks

Door to the 'other' side

 Churning chick-pea flour

Old Russian Theatre

Spicy street

While the heaving Howrah Bridge dominates, & august, British-colonial monuments flank the cityscape, as well as lend to it its modern history, it is the interactive alleyways & 'paraganis' (traditional townships), with it's confluence of cultures - British, Persian, Chinese, Armenian, & Portuguese among them, their shapely shrines, mosques & churches, edifying eateries, beguiling bookshops, institutes for 'adda' (political/topical conversation), tireless tailors, wily wallahs, vendors & hawkers, iconic, rickety-rickshaws, scrumptious, sought-after sweetshops, witty, bouncy, Bengali repartee, rolly-polly aunties in shimmering saris & unmatching cardigans, little girls in felicitous frou-frous, paired with non-negotiable Nikes, the elder-spunk in a safari, the young bro' in Gabbana, industrious indie films, lilting literature & fierce, freedom-fighting....that all give this city its soulful, colourful cadence.

Beth El Jewish Synagogue, 1856

The call to prayer caps

Old Portuguese Cathedral, 1799

Bubbly bidi (cigarette) stall & 
 jolly Bengali belly!

Vanity Fair!  
Mirza Ghalib (Freeschool) Street 

Dakshineswar Temple

Namaste your Majesty! 

The royal residence under renovation

Armenian Church, 1707

Snack time

Puppy-Love

Hindu wedding preparation

100 year-old Chinese tea shop

   
So, Ok there are also scuzzy dogs & stench-filled drains, pesky touts & clambering charlatans, roving eyes & ridiculous poverty, not to mention a swelling, swarm of 22 million sonorous souls all vying for that same cup of chai...but there's a story for ALL of that &, if you're interested & willing to rise above otherwise preconceived notions, relatively privileged lives & necessary sanitary proclivities, able to stomach the sensory intensity & digest the inescapable iniquities......you might just get a far more gratifying & graceful picture of this grand & life-giving megalopolitan.

The poor

The industrious

The hungry

The iconic

Don't expect though, to see a beautiful city.....if anything, she is a shambolic mess of snazzy new cars, overwhelmed infrastructure, whiteness cream, dreams, fumes & aspiration. Kolkata tests & beckons you to forage for her 'beauty', weed it out, blow off the refuse, paint it a new colour, reinterpret the concept, pack it away.........then carry it in your heart, veins & lungs, for a lifetime.

Thank you for making space in your day to read my post
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#All Writing & Photography by Rani.C (Char)

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5 & a 1/2 Meters of Heaven



From now until................'Kingdom Come', I shall be singing heavenly praise to the wondrous, beauteous, indespensible & iconic Indian Sari. Not solely for the fact that it continues to be  the preferred garment in an everchanging & increasingly cosmopolitan  India, but also because of  its variety, versatility and synonomous connection with the colour & vibrance of the Mother-Land. In terms of sari uses in the home..........well, where does one start and finish? The Maharani simply lives, loves, dreams and breathes the equisite yardage.

The Sequenced 'SARI-CUSHION'

A Palace staple 'Par Excellence'...................

but lets now give devotion to a bit of 'Sari-Heaven', in it's other incarnations..........

The 'SARI-CURTAIN'. Fancy & fabulous,

in any room & in any fabric.

The 'SARI-TURNED-RUNNER'

Covers tables, cabinets,&

 other un-glamorous surfaces.



The 'SARI-FOR-FRILLS-&-THRILLS'

 Maharani's day-bed.

Love is in the billowing detail.

Fallen out of love with an old cupboard or book case ?.............don't fret............a simple white sari can refresh, glamour-fy & add panache. A few antique upholstery tacks, some rudimentary folding & tucking skills & voila!........20 minutes later, you've got yourself an elegant, new & distinctive look.

The 'INSTANT-FACELIFT-SARI'

 Don't hate me for my freshness!



Intricate sari embroidery. 
 Plainness is not acceptable
in the  Palace!



 Corner of a reinforced, embroidered 'SARI-MAT'

Too pretty to step on, unless wearing your silky socks..........but nonetheless, worthy of a Palace interior....................
Now that we've paid homage (& shall surely return to this topic at a later date) it's time to adorn yourself in a magnificent sari, lay back on your sari-clad, day-bed..........rest upon your soft, sari-cushions and dream of what you'll do, with your next 5 1/2 meters of heaven.

Sari, Sari on the wall......

Thank you for making space in your day to read my post
PLEASE CONNECT WITH ME ON IG or TWITTER

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#All images from inside the'House of Rani'

#All Writing & Photography by Rani.C (Char)

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Pink appreciation day

For many, the word 'Pink', summons frightful memories of frilly, childhood tutus & "oh-so-wrong" frosted pink lipstick, matchy-matchy (bubble-gum-pink) outfits with your sister/maybe even your brother (bet he's had some therapy!) not to mention that whole 80's thing - certifiably-bad, flourescent-pink socks, leotards & head-bands & lest we forget those fluffy 'hot'-pink leg warmers (you confidently worked, over pink denim jeans!).....Umm, no wonder many of us shunned 'Pinkness' for a few decades. Hopefully, now that the trauma has subsided, we can move into a fully realized love-affair with the strong jewel & delicate blush tones of the ever fanciful & fabulous 'Pink'.

Magenta pink threadwork

on a delightful Tunisian ottoman.

I can think of no other colour that better encapsulates the essence of femininity & sensuality. Pink, is 'the' quintessential colour of Indian decor & features strongly in many a Morrocan, Mexican or Mandalayan home too..........from vibrant magenta bed spreads to brilliant boganvillia-pink cushion covers.........

A montage of heavenly

pink things.

......elegant musk or petal-pink walls, ornaments & flowers......not to mention Rani-pink, throw covers & sheer saris,  that tantalize, capture the imagination & perhaps induce a rosy blush to the cheeks too.

The sheerest, shiniest, shimmiest, 
 silk-voile sari in 'babyest' pink.

 Rose-pink, silk, orchid flowers

Of course a palate of pink 'fresh flowers' are ideal.......& the Maharani makes a point of ordering colourful blooms when in season.

A delectable, mixed pink/orange rose bouquet.

From a discreet admirer of the Maharani.

Bless!

Fuschia-pink Ali Baba cushion,

gold accents & Jute.
Take me to the Bazaar Now!!

Try to expand your pink repetoire.   If unsure of which shades to put together.............just take a flying leap into boldness & blend them all! You will achieve a sublime depth of tone & explosion of colour like no other.......vary your textures and 'lift' the tableaux with a lighter accent colour; such as cream, lemon, mint-green, or lilac......the possibilities are endless.

So much pink, So little time. 

Medium-pink,Boganvillia-pink

Raspberry-pink & Cream.

All bonding in the one space.

Voila!

Never forget to revel in your creativity & point of difference. Roll around on that carpet, like a Maharani does & soak up the luxurious, vibrant, ambience. Love that pink - & worship it daily.....long may 'Pink' live to brighten up our homes and our hearts.

Thank you for making space in your day to read my post

PLEASE CONNECT WITH ME ON IG or TWITTER

 ****************************************

#All images from inside the 'House of Rani'

#All Writing & Photography by Rani.C (Char)

**Move cursor along pink bar below to reveal comments tab...I love to hear from you all!**