They call it #TheIndiaStory and #BecauseWeLoveIndia – A beautifully thought-out master project curated by Swaroop Dutta and Navonil Das of Dev R Nil with Madhu Neotia, initiator and the Chairperson of the Indian Institute of Crafts and Design, and Abhilasha Sethia, the co-owner of Smoke House Deli, Kolkata.
I visited the three-day extravaganza held at the historical Swabhumi in Kolkatta. The idea was to bring all shades of artistic brilliance that sums up the unique diversity of our culture, in one living space. This was an experience that celebrated India in all its glory with the old and new coming together in harmony. And that’s exactly what The India Story 2015 was all about.
From a fabulous opening night with a runway show by Sanjay Garg of Raw Mango, along with a curated lot of talented names in Indian fashion, The India Story housed a slice of everything we love about the nation. Spread across the Swabhumi, there were shopping stalls, an amphitheater for bands and a section serving yummy food from some of the best local joints in Kolkata. Here’s what we soaked in and loved!
The Fashion
Raw Mango at #TheIndiaStory
Raw Mango at #TheIndiaStory
Raw Mango at #TheIndiaStory (Pic: @styleprism on Instagram)
Vivek Kumar at #TheIndiaStory
The India Story
The India Story
Lakshmi Rana walks for Sanjay Garg of Raw Mango at the #TheIndiaStory
The Stalls
#TheIndiaStory
#TheIndiaStory
Sneha Arora’s stall at #TheIndiaStory
Model Preeti Dhata chillin’ like a villain
Mrinalini Gupta of Mrinalini
Nupur Kanoi in a candid moment with a shopper at her stall at #TheIndiaStory
Nimish Shah at his SHIFT stall at #TheIndiaStory
#TheIndiaStory
#TheIndiaStory
The Installations
#TheIndiaStory
#TheIndiaStory
#TheIndiaStory
#TheIndiaStory
#TheIndiaStory
#TheIndiaStory
#TheIndiaStory
Installation at #TheIndiaStory. (Pic: @howdyitssaiket on Instagram)
The Performing Arts
Puppet shows at #TheIndiaStory
#TheIndiaStory
Astab Deboo performance at the Urban Zone at #TheIndiaStory
Fiddler’s Green
Neel Sarkar Project
The Folk Foundation
Local artisan making pots at #TheIndiaStory
The Happy Faces
Riya Sen
Fashion peeps, Mrinalini Gupta, Dev of Dev R Nil, Nupur Kanoi, Preeti Dhata, Surelee Joseph and me
My BandraRoad partner and fashion model, Surelee Joseph and me.
Noyonika Chatterjee, Anupam Chatterjee, Daman Choudhary and Mitali Rannorey (Pic: @an3style on Instagram)
The Organizers
I have to mention the organizers of the event who made sure that details weren’t taken for granted and everyone has a fond moment to take away.
Swarup Dutta
Swapan Seth
Anindya Hajra
Abhilasha Sethia
Tazeen Chowdhury
Debarshi Chowdhury
Navonil Das of Dev R Nil
Madhu Neotia
Apurva Ghoshal
Mahargya Chakraborty
So that was The India Story 2015, the first of its kind and I can’t wait to see what await us in the coming year. I hope to see it grow bigger and with more names in Indian fashion and art from all over the country.
To know more about the event, simply search for the #TheIndiaStory and #BecauseWeLoveIndia on social media!
Pics: Facebook & Instagram of The India Story.
This post is in partnership with The India Story.