Purnam - A Success of Support

From left: Sarita Baluja, Jani Dhingra, Aruna Dalmia, Saroj Bhatia and Indu Gupta helming Purnam

An afternoon filled with thoughtful fashion. A happy buzz, a constant reminder about accepting sustainability as a fashion anthem. Honouring and appreciating indigenous art and aesthetics. That’s what it was at the 12th edition of Purnam’s Summer Festive 2018 exhibition held last week at The Ashok in the capital. As promised, the platform brought together a gamut of designers, craftspeople and artists offering the best of responsible fashion, food, art and craft to Delhi’s cognoscenti. There were exhibitors from Dubai, Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata, as well as beautiful products created by indigenous artisans from Hissar and Varanasi. There are spectacular ikat creations by craft revivalist and textile doyen, Madhu Jain, artistic separates by fashion designers Sonam Dubal, Charu Parashar, Samant Chauhan, Rina Dhaka and Yasmin Kidwai. But the stunning weaves from small weavers in Banaras, Lucknow and Kolkata were the hotsellers.  Present at the exhibition were artist Kanchan Chander, activist and community service worker Mohini Giri and Aruna Dalmia, Abha Dalmia, Piya Bajwa and Saif Habibullah. 
Madhu Jain with Aruna Dalmia
There was fashion, beauty and beyond. Along with Beauty partner, Aroma Magic, Nutreen, a healthy food brand served mouthwatering goodies that were gluten-free, sugar-free and dairy-free. A wonderful opportunity was also given to Bagesh, a Madhubani artist from Bihar, to showcase his lovely works at the show. Artist Kanchan Chander presented a solo show of her ‘Devi’ and ‘Bollywood’ series of kitsch canvas and mixed media art. 
From left: Fashion designers Rina Dhaka, Sonam Dubal, Charu Parashar and Samant Chauhan

Purnam takes pride not only in supporting emerging entrepreneurs but also giving back to the society by supporting credible and local NGOs. The exhibition provided a free platform to NGOs to sell the creative products made by the communities they support. This year saw goodies and handicrafts from Akshya Pratisthan, Guild for Service, Trash to Cash, Four Steps and Antarkranti. And now that it’s over, already counting to the 13th edition of this beautiful showcase…
Yasmin Kidwai at Purnam
 
Yours truly with Sarita Baluja

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ekaya and its brilliant journey with Cousu D'or

Image
Your mission is not to sedate, but to awaken, to disturb, to communicate, to command, to instigate and even to provoke.
American art director, designer and author George Lois’s profound words rang in my mind as I watched her greet one and all. Dressed in a steel, black and copper Banarasi draped gown, conceived by Pierre Charles Letz, the French president of the Fédération Française de la Création Couture Sur Mesure, Palak Shah stood out in that haze of warm ivory, white and gold. Wearing the graceful smile of humility yet enveloped by that confident air of success, the youngster did what many her age would just be doodling about on their I-pads. But, Palak knows what she wants. And she is carefully mapping the path to broaden the scope that Indian textiles. Because of the belief that they deserve global laurels. In that surreal setting at Bikaner house on an evening last week, if anyone doubted the versatility of Indian handloom, Palak’s vision successfully altered that erroneous idea…
Read more

Of good food and fabulous design at Beyond Designs

Image
During my eight-year stint at Hi Blitz magazine, I always enjoyed visiting people’s homes. I’m speaking of times when ‘armchair journalism’ was yet to be and most often than not, I preferred meeting people (on whom I was writing) in their home. Unless, they preferred their workspace. While we chatted, I absorbed the surroundings. The décor, the art, the colours and the way things were laid out. I observed the owner’s interaction with his nest, which I believe becomes almost an animate object over the years. Those vignettes peppered my writing. I like it that way.
Nothing has changed, except that I am my own boss. The modus operandi continues to be a one-on-one interaction in homes, especially when it comes to bringing out a side of a personality that is only obvious when he is in his private space. A home, I believe, mirrors the persona of the owners in an inimitable way. It sheds light on hobbies, passions and the creative eye. It narrates stories and tells of memories.
Over the years…
Read more

Going Green at Greenr Cafe

Image
I wonder at the resolve of those who turn vegetarian by choice. Even more if they do so after tasting the best meats, fishes, oysters, clams and prawns of the world. Then, what exactly prompts them to give all the goodies up? Is it really easy to stick to a tofu roll when you can smack your lips with the juiciest tuna burger? Or feel sated with a beetroot and caperberry salad when somewhere close by you can hear a fork work its way through a grilled corn fed chicken breast? Won’t you miss the rustic beef bolognaise as you slurp down a vegetarian khao suey? Will the succulent scallop or the lobster sushi roll not beckon you while you deal with the asparagus tempura? Last week, a very good vegetarian meal quelled the doubts. If the green options are as innovative and diverse, with a thought towards health as well, then who wouldn’t mind choosing that over animal protein (the source of which is perennially under the scanner these days).
While the cruel May sun beat down upon us as we sh…
Read more