While Kolkata earned its sobriquet City of Joy from Dominique Lapierre’s 1985 novel that captured the resilience of its people, the storied city holds treasures far beyond – of art, culture and a timeless creative spirit. It’s a land of thinkers and of hands that shape beauty. Steeped in rich history and cultural heritage, the city has long inspired dreamers. We speak to designers, jewellers, and artists from Kolkata who are igniting our imagination – and our feeds.
Viraj Khanna, Artist
Fascinated by striking moments from everyday life, Viraj Khanna, son of designer Anamika Khanna, translates them onto canvas through vivid hand embroidered imagery. For his collages, the 30-year-old reflects on the never-ending chase for perfection. These become the blueprints for his sculptures, which invite one to embrace imperfection with grace. For Viraj, no place inspires like Kolkata. ‘There is such an eclectic blend of tradition and modernity here – from the dazzling puja pandals to heritage architecture! It’s a city brimming with imagination, and our karigars have as much to teach you about life as they do about craft,” he says.
Ayushman Mitra, Fashion Designer and Artist
With his daak naam, Bobo, Ayushman Mitra is celebrated for blending art and fashion into designs steeped in psychedelic fantasy. A painter since childhood, Bobo translates his canvas into wearable art through his label, Bobo Calcutta. “The eyes you often see in my work, along with other recurring motifs, are drawn from Goddess Durga. She inspires me every day,” says the 36-year-old. For Bobo, Kolkata is both muse and beloved home. “The city offers endless artistic energy, with karigars whose hands move as if guided by the divine. What makes Kolkata unique is the harmony in which people of different faiths live and create,” he says.
Shreya Ghosh, Jewellery Designer
After 15 years in Mumbai’s fashion world, Shreya Ghosh returned to her roots in New Alipore, Kolkata. There, she turned her gaze to West Bengal’s famed joroa work – a unique blend of vintage British jewellery aesthetics and Indian craftsmanship – and felt the need for reinvention. Traditionally loved by Bengali brides for its gold vines, flowers, leaves and seed pearls, joroa finds a bold, edgy expression in her label, Goddess of Glocal. “I wanted to marry joroa with modern aesthetics to make it relevant for the fashion-forward,” says the 36-year-old. For Shreya, the city’s greatest gift is its creative spirit. “From childhood, we are encouraged to paint, sing, sculpt, and dance. This tapestry of artistic pursuit is a blessing,” she says.
Arka Patra, Photographer
A non-conformist in every sense, Arka Patra has built a visual language that is as unrestrained as it is deliberate. Trained as a mechanical engineer, he abandoned convention to pursue photography. His lens dismantles long-held perceptions with images that challenge and provoke. Arka’s work often draws inspiration from the Pre-Raphaelites, the 19th century art movement, marked by luminous colour and meticulous detail. “My gaze is coloured by Kolkata’s socio-political and cultural landscape, as well as the riverside town I grew up in – the historic Chandannagar, with its echoes of Indo-French architecture. I doubt I could ever bring the same authenticity to my work if I had lived elsewhere,” reflects the 31-year-old.
Monalisha Manna, Jewellery Designer
Monalisha Manna left behind an engineering career to chase her passion, launching the silver jewellery label Earthaments. The 31-year-old celebrates the rich tribal culture of West Bengal through designs with a modern edge. ‘Growing up in Kolkata meant being surrounded by art in its purest form. The colonial layers merging with Bengal’s own aesthetics shaped my world – whether it was heirloom jewellery or the textures of Kalighat roads,” she says. But above all, it is the women of Kolkata who she loves the most. “Fierce and fearless, they embody the Divine Mother. Their strength, resilience, and grace inspire every piece,” she says.
