(From top) City models walk the ramp showcasing jewellery designs; Sudipta in bridal finery; Srikanta Acharya in performance; Lopamudra Mitra hands over a prize to one of the winners. Pictures by Sanjoy Chattopadhyaya

Kalpana, the jewellery designing contest initiated by Calcutta-based Senco Gold and AnandaBazar Patrika, is a tribute to the inherent creativity of today’s woman. And Friday evening saw the talent and artistry of nine women from Bengal win accolades and recognition at the Kalpana Award Ceremony at Kala Mandir.

“Customers at our store often give us design suggestions, sketching out the pattern they want. This is a platform for them to showcase that latent creativity in a proper way. In this age of competition and commercialisation, events like these help us bond better with the buyers,” said Sankar Sen, CEO of Senco Gold.

The contest, strictly for women, was conducted for over a month.

Out of 4,500 applicants from all over Bengal, 250 were shortlisted for the final round. The medium chosen was good ol’ gold.

The celebrity panel of judges included designer Sharbari Datta and painter Shuvaprasanna, along with two in-house judges from Senco Gold.

“Women, no doubt love jewellery, and such competitions give them a better insight into the intricacies of jewellery making. This has definitely rekindled the desire of the average woman to do something out of the ordinary and be proud of it,” felt Shuvaprasanna.

The competition was divided into three categories ? work wear, party wear and bridal wear. While the winners won diamond pendants, the first runners-up and second runners-up walked away with diamond earrings and rings, respectively. Certificates and trophies accompanied the jewellery haul.

In the work wear category, the first prize was won by Naushaba Ara while the second and third went to Munmun Mondol and Madhurima Goswami.

In the party wear jewellery category, Amrita Laskar stood first, followed by Manashi Mitra and Shukla Goswami

Bithi Nandan walked away with the first prize in the bridal wear section, while Tanima Karmakar came second and Sudeshna Bandyopadhay Basak third.

The show on Friday was compered by Madhumanti Maitra, who punctuated the proceedings with some humorous lines like Hobe Hobe ShobHobe and Banla Tangla

Models Tanushree, Pooja, Pamela, Sudipta Sejuti and Ishika sashayed down the ramp, showcasing collections of heavy bridal jewellery, classy party wear and sober boardroom ornaments.

Musical presentations by Lopamudra Mitra and Srikanta Acharya were also on the entertainment list.

While Acharya enthralled the crowd with melodies like Aamar ei poth chawatei anando, Lopamudra’s repertoire of songs included Daakchhe akaash daakchhe bataash, Gaal fuluni khukumoni and Aaye aaye ke jabi.