May 13, 2013

An Artful Afternoon in Calcutta

There are many hidden treasures in Calcutta that I constantly discover even after having grown up here.  One of these treasures is the home of Surajit "Bomti" Iyengar, located in one of the old colonial buildings that housed a British departmental store many years ago.
Bomti had come to Maka Maka when we opened, looking for wall plates and other hand-painted items from Portugal.  Our conversations began and continued with a pending offer to have coffee at his place and discuss art.  I finally made it over and with a lovely lunch that accompanied our conversations around art, his apartment with amazing views of the city and the visually stimulating decor, I also got to see his amazing collection of art and decor objects from around the world.  Incidentally, Bomti's home was featured in Elle Decor: http://www.elledecor.com/design-decorate/artful-patina#slide-1

Not only that,  Bomti has access to art from some very talented artists, who otherwise, would not have an audience!  There were pieces that I could just pick up without a second thought! They were so vibrant, unique and would make a statement wherever they were displayed!  With an eye for art and beautiful objects, and being the great conversationalist that he is, Bomti also becomes the perfect guide to take tourists and locals on heritage tours of old Calcutta that culminates into a sumptuous Bengali lunch at his charming apartment.

Once the weather cools down a bit, I plan on being a part of one of these tours and enjoying perusing through canvases and sketches of the artists he brings to light!