Glimpses of An Indian Summer :)

Remembering my Indian Summer :)

{Monsoon rains}

 {Rath Yatra}

 {My Aunt's Rooftop Garden}

{Dahi Phuckha = MAGIC!}

{Changing Summer Skies}

{Summer}

:)

Scenes From a Wedding

Small glimpses of my cousin's grand wedding this July, in Kolkata India. This was the first full, traditional Bengali wedding I attended in over ten year! So, of course, I took nearly 2,000 photos! The bride looked gorgeous, the groom was practically bursting with happiness, and the whole thing was so darn traditional that I loved it!
Here are a few glimpses of that wedding -- more to come later :)
Enjoy!

 

Boron dala, or a blessing tray, for the turmeric ceremony (gayey holud)

 

Sindoor daan, or the bride getting vermilion on her forehead. This marks her as a married woman.

 

Bridal henna!

The groom holding the container with the sindoor, or vermilion on it.

 

Henna on the bride's feet! 

 

The bride getting ready to do the seven circles around the groom.

Textures: Textiles of India

While in India, I got to go shopping and sightseeing, and took in a million colors and textures. Bright colors, intricate embroidery, patchwork, sequins, stones, beads, crushed silks, jewel tones, tissue thin saris, and so much more -- it's all gorgeous!! So, here's a mini crash course on some of the gorgeous, colorful textiles of India. Photographs by yours truly :)

Zardosi work - embroidery with sequins, stones, beads, metallic and colored threads, and more! 

Kota: brightly woven cottons, usually in the form of colorful saris

Applique and embroidery work

The colorful borders of traditional South Indian Kanjeevaram saris. 

Intricate embroidery on jewel tone silks

Block printed cottons

Handloom cottons colored with vegetable-based dyes with colorful borders

Colorful printed and dyed cottons

Those are just a few examples of the many textures, textiles, and colors of India. Part 2 will follow soon :)
Hope you liked it!

Glimpses of Shantiniketan

While in India, we travelled to Shantiniketan, a small town 180 kilometers from the city of Kolkata. Shantiniketan is where Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore grew up and wrote some of his most acclaimed work. Shantiniketan has turned into a university town, and attracts thousands of visitors each year.
Here are a few glimpses of Shantiniketan.

{Vendors selling handmade crafts all over the town}

{A temple with gorgeous glass walls}

{The instruments of a baoul, or wandering minstrel}

{A bell hanging in the shade of a banyan tree}

{The rope-like branches of a banyan tree}

{an old house -- remainders of a period of grace and elegance}

The Great Indian Adventures of an Undercover Diva :) :)

I'm back from India! With a million things to share with y'all!! :)

So, in the next posts I will be sharing with you all...

:)

Stay Tuned!

xx
~ Undercover Diva