(Top to bottom): model Vidisha Pavate sports a Shantanu Goenka ensemble from his new fall-winter collection; vocal music band Dhwani in performance at Kala Mandir on Saturday; model Pinky struts B.C. Sen stuff at a jewellery show in ITC Sonar Bangla. Pictures by Pabitra Das and Rashbehari Das

After tasting ?raging? success at the recent Bridal Asia show in Delhi, Calcutta-based designer Shantanu Goenka is back in action with his new fall-winter collection that includes both couture and pr?t lines. That, besides catering to his new-found client base of bridal wear across the country, is keeping his hands more than full.

Shantanu has steered clear of zardosi in his latest line, in a bid to make a ?different? effort this time round. Instead, thread work is the principle form of embellishment.

?I have used a lot of Parsi embroidery that gives a 3D look and is very subtle at the same time,? explained Goenka, at work in his Vrindavan Gardens studio in the heart of Tangra.

Moroccan dressing ? of the more chic variety and not necessarily tribal motifs ? is yet another inspiration.

Printed heavy linens, georgettes and crepes are the fabrics Shantanu has chosen for his pr?t line. The fun comes from mix-and-match ensembles, allowing for more innovation and flexibility.

?You can team one of my kurtas with a pair of black trousers for a casual look, if you don?t want to go for the sari accompanying it,? suggested Shantanu.

Smart printed trousers, corsets and funky kurtis are other components of a line essentially young and vibrant.

The designer has also made a conscious effort to move away from bright pinks and screaming yellows, as a ?soft colour palette? is what he was aiming for.

?Subtle shades stand a better chance of being accepted in a sea of bright hues,? felt Shantanu. ?My clothes don?t scream for attention, yet they make their presence felt,? he signed off.

Vocal voyage

A packed Kala Mandir auditorium on Saturday evening tuned in to the sounds of Dhwani, a vocal music band that belts out all forms of music ? from Indian classical to western numbers.

At the weekend event organised by Sangeet Kala Mandir titled Reflexions, the band made an effort to bring both their Indian and western music talents together to present a melange of Bollywood numbers inspired by popular western tracks.

From a nursery rhyme to an Oscar-winning background score, the collection of songs rendered encompassed many a genre. It revealed some interesting information as well.

The unlikely image of Uttam Kumar dancing to the title track of Choti si Mulakat still stands out in memory, but, in case you hadn?t noticed before, the tune was actually picked up from the folk ditty She?ll be coming round the mountain when she comes?

As the band shed light on how the great Indian music composers were inspired, the crowd got into the groove and clapped, cheered and sang merrily along.

The songs ranged from the immortal Chura liya hai tumne by R.D. Burman to the more recent title track from Maine Pyaar Kiya, spread over a one-and-a-half-hour show.

Well-trained voices of singers Sriram, Diti, Sarita and Navin made the lovely songs worth listening to on a relaxed weekend evening.

Caf? culture

The trend of caf? theatre seems to be catching up as fast as the winter chill. Every coffee shop worth its brew is having either a book reading session or play-acting thrown in with piping hot coffee. The space ? or the lack thereof ? does not deter the enthusiasts.

Thursday saw just such a session at the Ballygunge outlet of Caf? Coffee Day. The evening was titled Shekor (roots) and was divided into two parts.

Percussionist Bikram Ghosh decided to give drums a miss for the evening to recite a poem instead. He was accompanied by actor Sudip Mukherjee and Bijoylakshmi Burman.

But it was the second segment of the evening that had the audience spellbound. The play-reading by Sujoy Prasad Chatterjee and Amartya Banerjee (the playwright) delved into the lives of two friends across the borders of Bengal.

The play progressed through the letters written by the two who were displaced during war. The renditions by Suchhanda Ghosh and Swagata Mukherjee lent an emotional touch to the evening, though the reading dragged on for longer than necessary.

As for the ever-ringing cell phones, they have become so much a part of such evenings that few regard them as a menace anymore.