Calcutta[now Kolkata], my home town in India, in the late fifties or early sixties was still under the influence of The East India Company and homes of the affluent people were decorated with porcelain or marble statues, huge mirrors, chandeliers and paintings of European style. My mother's artistic taste was reflected in the way she decorated our home.Everything bore her special signature and personal touch. One such piece is still surviving in our home in Santiniketan.It was a piece of driftwood collected by her from my grandfather's garden[see photo].For any occasion, be it a religious festival or a birthday or wedding, people who knew my mother, requested her to decorate the place,or dress up the bride in the traditional Bengali way.Being educated in Viswa-Bharati, Santiniketan, her artistic taste was greatly influenced by the style typical of Santiniketan. I used to tag along with her to Tagore's dance-dramas and other programmes where she used to dress up the dancers in a very special way. I shall try to give brief ideas about each of these in future postings.
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