Come, let’s travel the city of Pondicherry, now Puducherry, lovingly called Pondy. In happier times, I had taken a nearly 48-hour train journey to reach there, and it had been worth every bit. That was my second visit to the lovely city on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. The first time had […]
Jodhpur: beating the blues
Jodhpur. It is not just another city. It is an offering. Of everything stunning in nature: desert, sunrise, sunset, mist, flora and fauna. All beautifully entwined in the local history, arts, architecture, crafts, textiles, design, and cuisine. Much loved by its inhabitants. Jodhpur is a treasure. History: Jodhpur was established by Rao Jodha in 1459,... Continue Reading →
Instagram takeover #2: Pragati Singhal
"Best design is something which works with all of your 5 senses and is invisible." Pragati Singhal, Textile Designer, February 2020 For February, the second VarnikaDesigns Instagram takeover was by Textile Designer, Pragati Singhal. She was very keen on highlighting 'senses' and took us on a Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious ride. We love it and will never forget... Continue Reading →
Instagram Takeover #1: Suyash Srivastava
Dear Debby This post is especially for you - thank you for your encouragement and being such a wonderful inspiration VarnikaDesigns started its first social media colab with Suyash Srivastava, Textile Designer. He was completing his project from Siwan in Bihar, one of India's most sensational states, and gave us live coverage from there. His... Continue Reading →
Amar Kutir: revolutionaries, Batik & local culinary delight!
Amar Kutir Society for Rural Development near Santiniketan, West Bengal, is a registered cooperative society since 1978. Susen Mukhopadhyay started it in 1923 as a safe haven for the young revolutionaries fighting for Indian’s freedom. He was greatly concerned for the daily livelihood of these young people who had left home and were mostly hiding... Continue Reading →
Tiretti Bazaar: Chinese hub in Kolkata
Happy #durgapujo2019 🙂 So what are you doing these Durga Pujo holidays other than 'pandal hopping' in Kolkata? If you want to do something out of the ordinary, then it’s best to visit a multicultural hub there. One lovely Sunday morning, we set out for Tiretti Bazaar in Kolkata. It is held from 5 am... Continue Reading →
The past is always with us, for it feeds the present: Ruskin Bond
Landour is the land of Ruskin Bond. He's my love of the same infinite and unfathomable intensity as Gulzar - am not giving up either one is English love and the other is Hindi+Urdu love 🙂 If this sounds bizarre at all then that's how it is! Everything about Landour and Mussoorie is quite surreal...... Continue Reading →
Meet my family: Chitku’s story :)
Hi, I'm Chitku 🙂 we've met before. This is my brother Kaachbo. We have been brought into this world by Priyanka Tolia. She is an Exhibition Designer from the National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad, and had studied History (Honours) from Lady Shri Ram College (LSR) before that. Priyanka often heard from the elders in... Continue Reading →
Water! We will always need you but we treat you bad :(
Delhi was the hottest ever on 10th June, 2019 - parts of it was 48 degrees!!! This will go down in history. In the 21st century, our generation has managed to make it to the global historical timeline with the most atrocious events, including the world heading towards a huge water scarcity. According to the... Continue Reading →