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ARTS & cULTURE JULY 02, 2021 | The Indian Eye 38

a slice of Bengal at your doorstep

The concept of Bongmade is to reach out to people living across the globe

somreet Bhattacharya
Kolkata

oung yet rooted, old yet
fashionable epitomize the
YCosmopolitan Bengali.
Re-inventing the new through
the eyes of the past has been
the hallmark of Bengal Renais-
sance since late 18th century.
Progressive approach in almost
every sphere -- science, arts, cul-
ture, religion, language and lit-
erature, the quest for adopting
the new with a blend of the past
has been constant since the days
of Colonial Bengal.
The tradition of contempo-
rizing the old and stitching it Anirban Bhattacharya Priyanka Sarkar RJ Agni
with the new brings together a
group of people, not to mention
quintessential Bengalis, in ex-
perimenting work on various art
forms. The result: Bongmade.
“Our experiment is to make
traditional yet quirky art forms.
The fusion of Mexican art with
that of Bengali is on the table,”
says Anindya Sain of Bong-
made. “Our idea is to take mod-
ern Bengal to world stage,” the
Economics post-graduate from
Presidency University adds.
Corporate honcho Mohul
Sinha joins in to add to the
eclectic mix of people. “We
want to become a marketplace
for all Bengali brands, especial-
ly fashion and arts. We want to
represent aspirational Benga-
lis. Our Bengali New Year cal-
endar, taking inspiration from
characters of Satyajit Ray films,
is an example of the blend of RJ Deep Foodka
past and present, says Sinha, a
political science graduate from The concept of Bongmade sional Prashant Maiti of- ceptualize, visualize and then
St Xavier’s College, who has is to reach out to people living ten craves for the authentic source materials and work on
worked for top brands in differ- across the globe. “It aims to smell of Bengal, and hence products. It is a concept,” sum
ent cities of India and abroad. promote unique aspects of Ben- pitches in to serve Bengal on up Suvajit Dutt and Gourav
Next in line is an experimen- gal to the global audience,” says a platter to world audience. Ghosh who drive the look and
tal work on the tribal art forms Sunando Banerjee, an IT veter- The concept and design of feel of the website.
of Bengal, says Sinha, adding an and one of the driving forces Bongmade is quite different Somreet Bhattacharya is a
Bongmade has already roped in of the initiative. from any other e-commerce journalist based in Kolkata, West
local artisans. Dubai-based IT profes- website. “We do research, con- Bengal

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