The Bengali Bonti
The Bonti is a kitchen instrument that is used in Indian households to peel, chop, shred, slice and dice vegetables and fruits, especially in the states of Bengal, Assam, Orissa.
The vanity set from my mother’s trousseau
This vanity set of four included an oval-shaped mirrored tray, a powderbox, a photo frame and the ittardan, all made by an American brand called ‘Stylebuilt’, which rose to popularity first in the 60’s, with its signature metallic gilding.
Bauji’s red file
Durga Prasad Ummat, Bauji as he was fondly known, was born on 25th April, 1896. After my father passed in 2015 there was lot of paperwork to be attended to. It was on one such day, while rummaging through documents that I came across some documents and letters with Bauji’s name.
From the folds of my great-grandmother’s history
It is an incredible thing for an inanimate object like a dupatta to reveal so much about a family’s history. To become the fountainhead of memory, that leads to the unearthing of so many long-forgotten tales. Part of bhabhji’s trousseau from 91 years ago, it is still used today.
Goynar Baksho: The jewellery box
My grandmother gauged that this box was bought somewhere around the year 1940 in Benaras. My great-grandma used the box until her death and then, her son [and my maternal grandfather], gifted the box to his wife, my grandmother, to use it as her jewellery box.