HIDE BOUND: ILPA (Indian Leather Products Association) celebrated its silver jubilee on Saturday evening with a fashion show titled Leather On The Ramp at Royal Calcutta Golf Club. The event, choreographed by Shy Kalra from Delhi, showcased a wide range of leather products. Actresses Mumtaz Sorcar (right) and Koneenica Banerjee (left) and beauty queen Richa Sharma shared the ramp with models from Calcutta and Mumbai. “The D2 International bags (one of the participating brands) were colourful and amazing,” said Jessica Gomes, the emcee at the event. Designers who participated were Pranay Baidya, Pooja and Samir Doshi, Indroneel Mukherjee, Roshni Patel and Soham Chakraborty. Designer Abhishek Dutta was one of the guest judges at the event.

Pictures: Rashbehari Das

FOR A CAUSE: Kalyani — a Bikram Dasgupta Foundation, with Bodhayan, an association of parents of special children, celebrated Women’s Day on Saturday and dedicated the day to the mothers of special children. The event –– held at Asha Kiran, BC Roy Institute (adjacent to Railway DRM Office, Sealdah) –– had Locket Chatterjee, Srijit Mukherji and Parambrata Chattopadhyay as guests of honour. The programme started with a welcome song (Aguner parashmoni) by the mothers and was followed by an orchestra by special children, dance and recitation by mothers.

Pictures: Bhubaneswarananda Halder

IN CONVERSATION: Agnimitra Paul had a special appointment on Friday — ‘Rendezvous with Royalty, Vasundhara Raje Scindia’ — at Taj Bengal. The designer asked Raje: “Initially you weren’t too keen on joining politics… what made you take the plunge?” With a smile Raje answered: “I’ve spent my life watching people and I’ve done it with respect. I’ve called everyone chacha, chachi, mama, bhaiyya… because from a very young age I was taught to believe that the world out there was one big holistic family. All I had to do was stick to love and affection and involve myself in a family called Rajasthan. Go out and love them and they love you back.” The talk was organised by FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO).

Picture: Anindya Shankar Ray

QUITE A KHAZANA! The annual Spring Treasure Sale atTaj Khazana is back. With a generous mix of its trademark handloom weaves alongside an array of accessories for guilty luxury indulgences, this 10-day affair will go on till March 25, 9am to 9pm, at Taj Bengal. And staying true to the word ‘sale’ in the name, they offer 15 to 40 per cent discount on marked prices. Fashionistas will be spoilt for choice, what with the range of ethnic fashionwear and fabrics in kantha, Benarasi and Doria cotton weaves, silk stoles, pashmina shawls, unique printed T-shirts, jewellery, evening bags and clutches, home linen and more. Art lovers can pick up lithographs and collectible prints. There’s a whole range for men too — silk ties, shirts and T-shirts. The eclectic mix of brands makes the exhibition fashionable and fun. Do check out Play Clan for tees, Haathi Chaap for elephant poo stationery and Chumbak for funky mugs, bags, stationery and more.

Pictures: Anindya Shankar Ray