Breaking the Mould

A SELF-TAUGHT CHEF, AN ARTFUL DANCER, A SCENOGRAPHER—THESE KOLKATANS DARED TO FORGE A UNIQUE CAREER PATH. PARAMITA SAHA, 41 Contemporary Dancer, Arts Manager

Meet Kolkatans who dared to forge a unique career path

This contemporary

dancer and former PR manager is on a mission to “reclaim the city through art”. Most of her recent projects have focused on taking art out of stuffy galleries or closed auditoriums. 2018 saw her manage VIVA, an exhibition of photographs hosted by Calcutta Heritage Collective in a crumbling building on Muktaram Babu Street. “Kounteya Sinha’s photographs juxtaposed against the old brick walls of the building created a lot of drama and buzz, spreading the message that heritage is not anti-development,” she says.

Art for All

This year also saw her associate with The Pickle Factory, an organisation dedicated to creating, curating and cultivating spaces for dance and movement arts. Titled 'Pickle On The Streets', it saw dancer Janice Claxton perform a duet with six Kathak dancers in unexpected places such as the Victoria Memorial, Jadavpur University, and others, thereby “making it accessible” to public. Saha was also part of the first edition of Calcutta Memory Lane, a street festival of arts, music and dance done carnival-style, in an otherwise quiet residential South Kolkata bylane in Hindustan Park.

Cause and Effect

“It's heartbreaking to see young Kolkatans leave the city because they feel there is nothing interesting happening here,” she says.