In High Spirit

And it8217;s not always spirituality that Kolkata has on mind when it comes to shopping for rudraksha necklaces or torans. Chamba Lama, which started off as a curio shop which offered the best in spiritual goods, ranging from prayer beads to Tangkha paintings, fanned out to junk jewellery over the past few years. 8220;It8217;s difficult to say for sure when things changed, but spiritual motifs turned very fashionable over the past few years,8221; says Tshering Yangki, whose mother set shop in Kolkata 50 years back. And our generation in this city rediscovered silver and oxidized jewellery thanks to Chamba Lama. From chunky bead neckpieces to pendants with Om embossed on them, most things spiritual given a fashionable twist are fast movers in the shop. 8220;Tibetan religious motifs and motifs from Hindu mythology are very popular when it comes to junk jewellery,8221; says Yangki. Jewellery designer Eina Ahluwalia agrees that the spiritual and the fashionable has found a connect in the city it seems. 8220;The Rudraksha is a very interesting fashion accessory. Stringing a Rudraksha mala along with metallic beads turns the thing into a fun accessory that can be worn with anything from a t shirt to a kurti. And Kolkata has always been a hub of hippie-ish fashion statements,8221; explains Ahluwalia. Or take for example Varanasi Heritage 8212; a small, unflattering-looking shop nestled in a dark corner of New Market. From cotton kurtis printed with shlokas and tees with quirky sketches of Ganesha to colourful jholas livened by prints of chants and namabalis made into stoles, the shop is a mecca for worshippers of urban cool. 8220;Our shop is frequented by college goers who get everything from stoles, to tees and bags. They come regularly to check out what new stuff we have,8221; says a spokesperson for the shop.

And then there are people who have learnt to tread the middle path. 8220;I get requests to create interesting, contemporary rings and pendants from the stones prescribed by astrologers,8221; adds Ahluwalia. She recently made roses out of the tame oval coral and turned it into a ring that looked like a delicate fashion jewellery. 8220;There8217;s a vibrant interest in spirituality among young people and they know how to choose things that look interesting and not over the top,8221; says Vadapalli. Reason why torans, a door-hanging with interesting embroidery, top shopping lists of many despite its religious significance. 8220;The ones made from cotton weaves with embroidery and mirror work are very chic and doesn8217;t look out of place with most types of home deacute;cor. I have a couple of them as they are considered sacred also,8221; says Sreemanti Ghosh, an ad copywriter who recently got married and did up her house.