Transgender-designed saris to be up for sale in Kolkata
In the pre-puja shopping spree that engulfs Kolkata, thousands of shops sell millions of saris every year. But a two-day exhibition-cum-sale of saris and handcrafted jewellery to be held next week in the south Kolkata neighbourhood of Jadavpur will perhaps set a mark in the social history of the city.
In a move to step out in the mainstream, transgender and queer (lesbian-gay-bisexual) artists of the city will sell saris they have designed and produced along with jewellery.
“We were thinking of such an effort for quite some time, and finally decided to hold it just before Durga Puja. This is the biggest festival of Bengal when the people go on a shopping spree,” said Upasana Agarwal, an alumni of Jadavpur university, an artist by profession and founder and organising member of Amra Odbhut (We are queer), the group that is behind the event.
The products will include hand-embroidered saris, Tshirts, apart from jewellery. The sale will be held on September 16 and 17.
The group also runs a pop-up café selling a variety of items cooked by queer and transgender persons, which, the organisers claim, is the first such café in the country.
The members of Amra Odbhut said the jewellery will be priced between ₹250 and ₹2,500. The saris will be priced ₹2,500 onwards. “I can guarantee the products will be worth each penny they spend,” Agarwal said.
According to city-based transgender rights activist Raina Roy, during the exhibition, snacks prepared by the members of the community will be served.