The Sravasti line on display at the Jodhpur Park exhibition. Picture by Aranya Sen

?Konokaley ami likhiye hobo, e tini kichhutei mantey parten na. Kebol-i khnota diye bolten Bihari Chakraborty-r moto likhtey parbo na.?

The figure, dismissive of the poet?s capabilities, was Rabindranath Tagore?s muse ?bouthakrun? Kadambari Devi. July 5 marked her date of birth as well as the day she stepped into the Tagore household as Jyotirindranath?s nine-year-old wife in 1868.

To mark the occasion, an exhibition was organised by Sravasti at Nari Seva Sangha in Jodhpur Park. ?Hardly anything remains of Kadambari Devi?s personal belongings, as everything was burnt within a day of her death. We drew inspiration from sketches by Jyotirindranath, photographs and Tagore?s poetry,? says Keya Chaitali, the organiser.

Sravasti has been known for podya poshak ? dresses with quotations on them. ?Our repertoire includes dresses with lines by Joy Goswami, Jibanananda Das, Subhas Mukhopadhyay and Shakti Chattopadhyay. But this collection is based solely on the Tagore family styles.? Punjabis and saris are adorned with hand-stitched verses, accompanied by Tagore paintings of women figures, believed to have been inspired by Kadambari Debi?s looks.

The Jorasanko house definitely contributed to fashion in Bengal. Gyanadanandini Debi, Tagore?s brother Satyendranath?s wife, introduced the way saris are worn today with the anchal tossed over the back. ?Most family members, like Gaganendranath, drew the designs for their drapes and had them stitched. In Pitrismriti, Rabindranath?s son Rathindranath writes how ?Gagandada? got a jobba made for ?babamoshai?.? Jobbas and sherwanis form part of Sravasti?s collection.

There are saris with embroidery resembling what Kadambari Debi wears in a photograph. Parsi needlework and lace work on silk also adorned her wardrobe.

Children?s punjabis make an appearance with lines from Birpurush. But special mention should be made of a replica of ?sadher ashon?, a seat modelled on what Kadambari Debi had stitched for Biharilal, impressed with his collection of poems Saradamangal. ?The original is at Bangiya Sahitya Parishad. The seat survived, as it was in Biharilal?s possession,? says Keya Chaitali.