CurioTale

Sometimes clicheacute;s do ring true. More so when they pertain to Kolkata. Like the fame of rosogolla and mishti doi, a quaint little curio shop tucked away in a corner of the city8217;s popular shopping destination, New Market, has become a part of the city lore.

Chamba Lama, is much more than a curio shop. For generations of faithful patrons, it8217;s an institution. As it completes fifty glorious years in Kolkata, Talk celebrates the shop which was patronised by the likes of Shirley Maclaine, Satyajit Ray and Suchitra Sen

Sometimes clicheacute;s do ring true. More so when they pertain to Kolkata.nbsp; Like the fame of rosogolla and mishti doi, a quaint little curio shop tucked away in a corner ofnbsp; the city8217;s popular shopping destination, New Market, has become a part of the city lore. Of all the touristy things to do in the city, a visit to this institution may be well worth your while. After all, for fifty long years, the shop has been patronised by the likes of Satyajit Ray, Aparna Sen, Suchitra Sen and Shirley Maclaine, no less. 8220;It was probably in the 1970s when Ms Maclaine visited us. She wanted an antique teapot. I sold it to her without realizing who she was,8221; says Karma Sherpa, co-owner of the shop.

Maclaine8217;s preoccupation with spiritualism drew her to this Tibetan Curio shop. 8220;From prayer beads to Tangkha paintings, Chamba Lama was a treasure trove for antique lovers in the 1970s,8221; informs Sherpa.nbsp; But the story of this institution goes back a couple of decades. 1948 to be precise, when Sherpa8217;s wife, Chetenyangjom, came to the city as a girl of 13 with her parents. This Darjeeling girl came to the city every winter to meet the demands of her customers. 8220;My wife would sell her wares to the rich Europeans when they visited the hill station during summer. Winter was lean season because tourists didn8217;t visit Darjeeling then. Which is why she decided to shift her business to Kolkata,8221; says Sherpa.

Initially Chetenyangjom and her parents set up a stall at Park Street, in front ofnbsp;what is now a popular salon, nbsp;AN John. 8220;Kolkata was a bustling port then. Many foreign traders would buy curios from my mother,8221; says Tshering Yangki, Chetenyangjom8217;s daughter. Within a decade, Chetenyangjom amassed enough capital to invest on a shop at the bustling New Market, which was the shopping hub of not only the city, but also the entire sub-continent then. In 1958 Chamba Lama was launched, the name was derived from Gyawa Chamba, which means the coming Buddha, the Buddha of Maitreyi friendship. With such an auspicious name, things couldn8217;t have gone wrong. Slowly, the shop earned a small but discerning clientele. 8220;We were popular with antique hunters, but my mother realised that we have to innovate to survive in this business,8221; says Yangki. Trays of oxidised earrings, rings, bracelets and strings of beads and chunky pendants, jostled for shelf space among brass and silver artifacts in the store. 8220;The jewellery attracted the stylish ladies of the city. Suchitra Sen was particularly fond of chokers and chunky armlets,8221; remembers Sherpa.

Meanwhile, the antiques drew the likes of Satyajit Ray. 8220;Ray used our artifacts in some of his films. He would meticulously inspect the artifacts for hours,8221; states Sherpa.

However, the 1980s signaled a distinct change in customer taste. 8220;By the 1980s people seemed to have lost interest in curios. Customers started recoginising us as a silver jewellery shop. Copper artifacts and curio today are picked up only by the true collector,8221; says Tshering Yangki, who runs the store now.

The 1980s also saw the second generation of Chamba Lama-philes. 8220;Children of our early customers started frequenting our stores. We started catering to their changing tastes,8221; adds Yangki.

Story continues below this ad

Chamba Lama8217;s fame also attracted customers from other cities of the country, most notably Mumbai. 8220;Irrfan Khan visits our shop whenever he is in town. Leslie Lewis and Shivamani are also fond of our silver jewellery,8221; beams Yangki.

nbsp;With changing times, Chamba Lama has reinvented itself as a fashion accessory destination. 8220;Today we have young boys coming to us and demanding eyebrow rings and gothic jewellery. Even the jewellery designs change every month. We need to constantly update ourselves by referring to fashion magazines,8221; smiles Yangki. Changing demands and political turmoil has forced a change in the workmanship too. 8220;Earlier we would source our stuff from Tibet, but now most of the stuff comes from Nepal,8221; says Yangki.

But somethings never change. 8220;Whenever a discerning curio shopper walks into our store, we can see the awed look in their eyes. That is very satisfying,8221; sums up Yangki.