You can hear the jewelry chant the Tibetan hymns ...

Om mani padme hum ... is the very first thing that came to my mind when I saw those exquisite turquoise beads woven intricately in a silver necklace. Yesterday, a dear friend of mine who had recently been to Tibet as a part of an NGO delegation gave me a necklace as a gift from the mystique land of the Himalayas. It's so entrancing and unique that I thought of telling you all about it. I always knew that jewelry formed an important part of the Tibetan culture. Since ages, they have been intriguing jewelry lovers from across the world with their oversized, heavy look which is characterized by elaborate surface design and an exuberance of color, but I never got to own a piece. Now that I have one, I desire to have more of them in my collection. For now, let me share with you all these wonderful pieces of Tibetan handcrafted jewelry that are sure to leave you enthralled with their sheer elegance.

Take me home, country roads ... Basant Utsav in Bolpur, Shantiniketan

“There is a garden in every childhood, an enchanted place where colors are brighter, the air softer, and the morning more fragrant than ever again.” ~Elizabeth Lawrence

Every individual wants to return back to their childhood days in some stage of life, but there are certain times, when you feel the urge even more badly. Such is the time of Holi or Dol Yatra, when I feel like going back to my golden days of innocence, which I spent in Bolpur - a small suburban town near Shantiniketan ("Abode of Peace"), where stands the international university of Vishwa Bharati founded by Nobel-laureate Rabindranath Tagore.

Holi or Basant Utsav used to be, or rather still is a very vibrant affair in Shantiniketan. Every year, the students of Vishwa Bharati University, attired in colorful dresses like yellow, celebrate the festival in a very special way. They are joined in by people from all across the country as well as by tourists from all over the world. A number of cultural programs, including group choreography, songs and dance performances, are staged, which are then followed by frolic, as everybody smear each other with “abeer”- the colored powders and express festive wishes.


The memories of Holi spent in Bolpur are still fresh in my heart, and the fragrance of palash flowers (Flame of the Forest) and abeer still makes me nostalgic every time the festival is near. ... And did you ask me about jewelry? - Yes, it definitely formed a very important part of our special Holi attire. And to do the good there was abundance of palash, jasmine, marigold, gulmohar florets and chrysanthemums – the Colors of Spring!

Story of Jewels

Since time immemorial jewelry has been telling us its wonderful story - a story, full of human emotions that are so known to us, and so close to our hearts. Today I am trying to read out some excerpts from that story... See, if you find my thoughts matching with yours.

Jewelry shares commitment

Jewelry says, I am always there for you...

Jewelry makes us ecstatic

Jewelry makes you blush

Jewelry brings out the mischievous girl in you..

Jewelry speaks of seduction

Jewelry creates mystery

Jewelry gives power

Jewelry makes a Star

Jewelry makes someone feel special

Jewelry tells who you are

Jewelry defines innocence

Jewelry makes you look ethereal

There's a lot more that jewelry has to say. As immortalized by George Eliot ~ These gems have life in them: their colors speak, say what words fail of...

When I think of handcrafted jewelry, I think of Bibi – Bibi Russel...

The person who gave a new meaning to fashion. - Beyond the glitz and glamor of the this profession, which makes it somewhat difficult for the common man to relate to it, made fashion look more humane. "People sell poverty. I sold the beauty in poverty," is how she explains her work. Much before this blogging bug bit me, I had this in mind that if I ever get to pen down my own thoughts about jewelry, I'll surely write about Bibi Russel and her creations.

An iconic Bangladeshi fashion designer and an erstwhile supermodel in the Europe fashion circuit, Bibi is known for her work with the artisans and weavers in Bangladesh. In the 1980's, she formed "Fashion for Development” in Dhaka to promote traditional Bengal fabrics such as Khadi (or Khaddar), Jaamdani, and more recently the humble gamchhas. Her range of accessories includes chunky earrings and wristwear, which are made out of natural sources such as terracotta, water hyacinth, palm leaf, wood, silk, jute and cotton



In the year 1999, UNESCO named her ‘Designer for Development” for her unfailing commitment to human dignity, development and the eradication of poverty. Presently, Bibi retails from her signature outlets in England, Spain, France and Dhaka. We, who are ardent admirers of her creations from India, are waiting with bated breath, when she'll come up with her outlet in this country, an emerging fashion hub of the world. Here are a few items from her prolific collections. Hope you like them:

For more information on Bibi Russell and her creations, log on to:

http://bibirussell.net/
http://knitpurlandstitch.wordpress.com

Dokra jewelries that took me back in time...

It was a breezy Sunday afternoon. I, along with a few friends of mine was strolling past the stalls at Dilli Haat. Suddenly my eyes fell upon a small assortment of demure golden beauties which was displayed at one of those nameless humble-looking stalls that lined the way to the Food Court. The moment I saw them, a strange feeling of ecstasy filled my heart - a feeling one gets when he or she meets a long-lost friend at some unexpected place. I immediately knew that I knew them – the dokra jewelry pieces that once used to bewitch us with their exquisite artistry and rustic feel during our college days back in Kolkata.

At the very sight of these wonderfully handcrafted jewelry pieces, a collage of memories rushed into my mind. I remembered those beautiful evenings when a bunch of college-going girls would make all the way from the bustling alleys of College Street to the very arty Rabindra Sadan premises- the so-called cultural hub of the city, to watch the latest release at Nandan. I remembered those endless chat-sessions that we used to have over innumerable cups of tea (small earthen pots for cups) in front of the Academy of Fine Arts - and – and those dokra jewelry pieces that would beckon us from an adjacent roadside stall. We used to ogle at them most of the time wishing if we could buy one or two, jump on them on some rare occasions, and fight over them as to who would take the most beautiful one.

Dokra fascinates me till date. An example of exceptional craftsmanship, dokra is believed to be one of the earliest known techniques of metal casting practiced by the tribals of Orissa and West Bengal. Here are a few dokra jewelry pieces of my choice. See if you like them:

To know more about dokra art form, log on to www.craftsinindia.com/indian-art-culture/dhokra-jewelry.html

For more pics of dokra art jewelry, log on to http://www.rareindianart.com