An occasion to celebrate the 15th birthday of one of Calcutta’s popular handloom haunts turned into an ode to the city itself.

Byloom, at Hindusthan Park, turns 15 in April. In the run-up to the day, a programme was organised at Daga Nikunj in Ballygunge billed as an “Ode to Kolkata”.

The celebration lived up to its billing. Some of the city’s chefs, restaurateurs and members of diverse communities that call the city home walked the ramp.

“We wanted it to be an ode to Kolkata, one of the world’s first melting pots. It is an extremely inclusive and unique place. That is what we are celebrating. You may love it, you may hate it. But you cannot ignore Calcutta,” said Malavika Banerjee, a partner at Byloom.

Women from the Chinese, Armenian, Jewish, Anglo-Indian, Parsi and Tibetan communities walked the ramp on Monday evening.

Natalie Pote, a fitness coach, represented the Anglo-Indian community. “Calcutta shaped me into the person I am. Calcutta taught me to accept, love and embrace other people and other cultures,” she said.

Aban Desai, proprietor and curator of Tejas Art Gallery, a Parsi who walked the ramp, told Metro: “It is an ode to the city where people lived together and drew from each other. We want our children to remember that. Our children get to hear from us what Calcutta used to be. But people don’t see it as much because many have left.”

Another participant, Katy Lai Roy, veteran theatre director and designer, said: “Life is richest when I live here”. Katy’s parents are of Chinese origin, and she is married to a Bengali.

Rituparna Banerjee, co-founder and chef at Nutcase, feels the new food and beverage brands coming to Calcutta are “slowly moving the narrative away from nostalgia”.

“We want to showcase the Calcutta we love and inspire the younger generation to be in the city,” she said.

Avinandan Kundu, chef at Sienna Calcutta, said: “Calcutta is one of the last bastions of pluralism. The rest of the country is becoming increasingly homogenous. But we must keep talking about this.”